Romania received a waiver from the American government to restart the Petrotel Lukoil refinery, the Minister of Energy announces: “21% of the country's production will be ensured”
The Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan, who is on an official visit to the United States of America, announced on Tuesday that Romania received a waiver from the American government to restart the Petrotel Lukoil refinery, according to News.ro.
“We have received official confirmation from the American government for the exemption from sanctions against Lukoil for Romania to restart the Petrotel Lukoil refinery. It represents huge news for our country,” the Minister of Energy said on ANtena 3 on Tuesday evening.
According to him, through this mechanism, in 45 days, this refinery will be able to operate again and produce diesel, gasoline, kerosene for Romania.
“It's an extremely important step forward. 21% of Romania's production will be provided by this refinery and it represents a main element of stabilizing the fuel market in Romania”, the minister also declared.
US sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft took effect on November 21, 2025 to pressure Moscow to accept a peace deal with Ukraine.
The Petrotel Ploiesti refinery has been for sale for almost ten years, but the investors were not interested. One of the causes is the fact that the refinery has outdated facilities and requires very large investments, an oil specialist explained to HotNews.
