Italy has temporarily placed a refinery of the Russian oil giant Lukoil in Sicily under state control. “The emergency measure is intended to protect both a strategic national energy center and the jobs that are so important for Sicily and the whole country,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday. The decision on the Isab refinery, one of the largest in Europe, is initially valid for a maximum of twelve months.
According to Meloni, about 10,000 people work for Isab. The Priolo refinery threatened to halt production as the European Union’s embargo on Russian crude oil imports by sea takes effect on December 5. The government control now imposed should be able to be extended again after the twelve months.
Italy follows the German example
With its decision, Rome follows the example of Berlin, which took over the German activities of the Russian oil company Rosneft in September. Rosneft is taking legal action against the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs over the management of its German subsidiaries.
Isab’s refinery has an annual capacity of ten million tons of crude oil. It covers about 20 percent of Italy’s needs.
Source: Krone
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