Total said the turnaround at Donges is slated to start this November and last until February next year. This makes a restart unlikely before mid-March 2022. The maintenance was originally planned for May-June 2022. Total has decided to bring the work forward after halting the refinery at the end of last year in response to weak demand and low margins. A leak was also found in a crude pipeline that supplies the refinery, although the CGT union had anticipated a restart this September.
Workers learned of the change in schedule after Total submitted its plans to the regional environmental authorities. "The Covid crisis has had a downward impact on the consumption of petroleum products, which has led to a sharp deterioration in refining margins. In this context, the Donges platform was forced to operate at a loss," Total said. "Despite a gradual recovery of the markets in Europe, consumption is still much lower than the pre-pandemic period, particularly in the jet market."
