MOL does not plan to supply Croatia from Hungary and Slovakia; Ina has not made a decision to close the refinery

MOL does not plan to supply Croatia from its refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, and even Tifon, which is owned by MOL, is supplied from Ina, it was stated on Wednesday to Hina from the Hungarian oil company, while Ina announced that the decision to close the Sisak refinery has not been made.

“MOL has no plans to supply Croatia from its refineries in Hungary and Slovakia. Even Tifon, which is wholly owned by MOL, is supplied from Ina and not from Hungary and Slovakia,” it was stated to Hina in response to a request for comment on earlier statements by Member of Parliament Tomislav Panenić from the Most party and former Minister of Economy in the Parliament.

On Wednesday, Panenić stated that Hungarian MOL is trying to stop operations at the Sisak oil refinery until the decision of the Arbitration Court in the dispute with Croatia, and then at the one in Rijeka, calling on Croatian politics and the profession to reach a consensus and make decisions about energy security and further relations with MOL.

“MOL is trying to implement its strategy to cease operations at the Sisak refinery until the decision of the Arbitration Court and to delay the modernization of the Rijeka refinery as much as possible. I fear that this is creating conditions for both to eventually close. According to the information I have, the continental part of Croatia would be supplied from modernized world refineries in Budapest and Bratislava, while our Adriatic part would be supplied through terminals in ports. It is clear that MOL is pursuing a policy of ensuring its status as an energy leader in the region,” Panenić stated after a break in the Parliament.

During the break in the Parliament, he gave a statement to journalists, and television N1 reported his message that from MOL’s previous actions, it seems that the closure of the Sisak refinery is “inevitable.” “No matter how we endure the situation, it seems that the closure of the Sisak refinery is inevitable,” Panenić said, deeming it necessary for the Government to take a firm stance and take actions that will guarantee the development of Ina as soon as possible.

Ina: The decision to close the Sisak refinery has not been made

From Ina, however, it was reported on Wednesday that the decision to close the Sisak refinery has not been made and that possible options for the Sisak Oil Refinery are being considered as part of the proposed business plan.

“The decision to close the Sisak refinery has not been made,” they reported from Ina, noting that the refinery has today started the process of launching processing facilities for a new processing block, which is expected to last until the end of November.

“With the aim of improving results and simultaneously reducing losses in operations, possible options for the Sisak Oil Refinery are being considered as part of the proposed business plan. Ina’s focus is on further improving the Rijeka refinery through planned investments in technology for processing heavy residues,” they emphasized from Ina.

Plenković: A meeting between the Management of Ina and the Government will be held soon

In the meantime, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that he spoke with the President of the Management Board of Ina, Zoltan Aldott, and that a meeting between the Management of Ina and the Government will soon be held to discuss relations and strategic interests of Croatia in Ina.

“Today I spoke with the President of the Management Board of Ina, Aldott. I expressed concern for the position of workers at the Sisak Refinery. We agreed that next week, after the Government session tomorrow and the visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, we will arrange an urgent meeting between the Management of Ina and relevant members of the Government to discuss relations and strategic interests of Croatia in our oil company,” Plenković told reporters in the Croatian Parliament.

In response to a question about the concerns of workers and contradictory statements by Minister of Environment and Energy Slaven Dobrović regarding the fate of the Sisak refinery, Plenković stated that it would be necessary to “calm down the ball, the confusion in the media space.”

“The Government has not yet discussed this topic as the first session is tomorrow. We will thoroughly analyze the situation, inform ourselves about the operations of Ina, the status of ongoing legal processes, and work on protecting the interests of Croatia and the interests of all employees,” the Prime Minister stated.

“The Government will protect the interests of Croatia and the workers in Ina,” Plenković reiterated in response to a question about whether he would go to the announced meeting with the Management of Ina with the stance that the Sisak Refinery should not be shut down.

Minister of Environment and Energy Slaven Dobrović stated on Wednesday afternoon that the Sisak Refinery is not being shut down and that a solution will be found that includes the preservation of jobs.

“The Sisak Refinery is not being shut down, that is not an option,” Dobrović stated at an extraordinary press conference at the Ministry.

When asked what his morning statement mentioning closure meant, he said it referred to a decade or two in which Croatia, like other countries, will increasingly become a low-carbon society that will consume less oil derivatives.

“This certainly has no direct connection to the specific situation at the Sisak Refinery where people are waiting to see what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Those jobs will not be touched in that short period,” Dobrović said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Dobrović told reporters in front of the Government that “at some point, the Sisak Oil Refinery will have to be closed.”