Drone attack shuts down plant that produces 40% of Russia’s liquefied gas – media
In Russia, the ZapSibNeftekhim complex in Tobolsk, Tyumen region, has stopped operating after a drone attack. The enterprise produces about 40% of Russia’s liquefied hydrocarbon gas.
This was reported by Reuters, citing three industry sources.
According to one of the agency’s interlocutors, the company will not resume work until experts assess the extent of the damage and its possible consequences. The timing of production resumption is currently unknown.
ZapSibNeftekhim is part of the Russian petrochemical holding Sibur and is the largest producer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the Russian Federation.
According to Reuters sources, the company produces about 6 million tons of LPG annually. This is approximately 40% of all Russian production of this type of fuel.
About half of Sibur’s gas production is used directly at the Tobolsk complex as a feedstock for petrochemical production, including polymers. Therefore, a prolonged shutdown of the plant could affect not only the Russian LPG market, but also other petrochemical production.
The first effects of the attack have already been felt on the Russian market. According to The Bell, the day after the attack, no LPG from the Tobolsk shipping point was listed on the St. Petersburg International Commodity Exchange.
Earlier this year, about 4 thousand tons of technical propane-butane mixture were sold from there daily.
At the same time, there is no talk of an LPG shortage in Russia yet. The consequences for the market will depend on the scale of the damage and the time it will take for Sibur to restore the plant’s operations.
Tyumen Oblast Governor Alexander Moor reported a fire at an industrial facility after a drone attack on Monday. However, he did not specify which enterprise was attacked.
Later, Russian and Ukrainian sources reported a strike on ZapSibNeftekhim. According to Astra, the drones may have hit the complex’s central gas fractionation unit.
The Ukrainian side also confirmed the attack on the enterprise. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the distance from Ukraine to the target exceeds 2,500 kilometers.
As is known, Ukraine has significantly expanded its capabilities to launch long-range strikes on Russian territory , which, according to journalists, has become one of the key factors in changing the nature of the war. At the same time, despite the successes of Ukrainian drones and missiles, the country remains vulnerable to Russian air attacks on the eve of winter.
Recall that in July, Belarus sharply increased the supply of gasoline and diesel fuel to Russia. The reason was the fuel shortage that arose after Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries.
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