Priolo, Province of SIRACUSA. His for a few hours refinery is in all the newspapers of the world: as a video of the Wall Street Journal, Priolo represents the junction through which the Russia fails to bypass the sanctions on the crude and ship it to the United States. Two factors who have made this possible so far. The first is that Russian crude, once refined at the Lukoil plant, he loses his Moscow passport to take the tricolor one. The second is that the entry into force of the European stop only the next 5 December. The question now is: what will happen after that date? Will the refinery be closed? There are thousands of workers hanging in the balance.
The largest Italian refinery is managed by the Swiss Isab, in turn controlled by the Russian Lukoil
La double face of Priolo. On the one hand beaches with crystal clear waters and the salt marshes which are a nature reserve. On the other a landscape dominated by refinery, the most important in Italy, managed by isab, a 100% subsidiary of the Swiss company Litasco You know, which is itself owned by the Russian company Lukoil, Russia's largest private oil company.
It 'just Priolo the passage that allows the Russian oil to get around the American sanctions war taxes Ukraine and to arrive thus in the United States, even returning sometimes even in Europe.
A survey of the Wall Street Journal, which traces the path of Russian oil in a video.
The transformation: from Russian crude oil to Italian petrol
Once transformed in the Sicilian plant, the Moscow crude becomes "Italian product” according to one established practice which allows the crude to change based on where it is refined. The crude turned into gasoline is then sent to the United States United States in the plants of Texas or of New Jerseyya groups like Exxon, without violating officially the fines. Prior to these limitations, the Isab refinery in Priolo treated crude oil from various countries and Russian oil accounted for an average of 30%. Now 93% come from Russia, because European banks stopped financing ISAB after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Almost all oil comes from Russian ports, especially from Primorsk.
The routes of the tankers identified by satellite images
Il Wall Street Journal he reconstructed and traced the ship routes arriving in Syracuse for download crude and upload processed products from the Sicilian plant of Lukoil. Also using satellite images the US newspaper shows images of the Scf Baltica, a tanker belonging to Russia's largest state-controlled and US-sanctioned shipping company, docked in Russian port of Primorsk while in March it loaded the crude. This same tanker a few weeks later is sighted deliver the crude oil to the Lukoil refinery in Priolo. A crucial step that allows Lukoil to get Russian oil to the United States.
The US sanctions exceptions started in February
From the end of February the United States have banned the import of Russian oil, under the fines launched to punish the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the US sanctions provide an exception, saving all products of Russian origin that have had "substantial transformation" in another country. And Lukoil itself has not been sanctioned by the United States, maintaining a presence on American soil, where it distributes petroleum products to seven different buyers in 13 different locations. It can do so because the oil on its journey to America stops precisely in Sicily.
The Russian embargo also in Europe from December 5th
Me too'European Union, after months of discussions, has decided to follow Washington's example and the embargo on Russian oil will take effect from 5th December even in the Old Continent. Until then, however, groups in Europe, including Italy, can continue to buy Russian crude.
Since March of this year, the Priolo refinery has exported nearly 5 million barrels of petroleum products to the United States, including 2,5 million barrels of petrol, enough to fill up 7 million cars.
What will happen to Priolo after December 5th? Thousands of workers in the balance
The oil embargo from Russia, which will come into effect in the EU on 5th Decemberwill also affect the Priolo refinery which could therefore suspend its activity, with heavy repercussions on Sicilian workers.
The Priolo refinery is responsible for 20% of the Italian refining volume with about 10 million tons per year, which can reach a maximum of 14, and has about 1.000 employees. Indirectly, the company employs a further 2.000 people, who, considering the extended related industries, rise to 10.000.
The financial volume generated in Sicily is approximately 600 million euros a year, while the whole industrial area is worth 51% of the GDP of the province of Syracuse.
Urso: an intervention by Sace is also possible so as not to interrupt the activity
The new Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso he said he was dealing with the matter, not excluding a possible intervention for the Priolo refinery through Sace.
«A first measure has already taken place, with the letter from the MEF's financial security committee, which certifies that the company is not subject to sanctions. It is a first significant step, in a few hours, which will be followed by others to create the best possible context for the company to be able to overcome the decisive step of December 5th and continue its business".
