韩国炼油企业上半年亏损创历史新高

    中国石化新闻网讯 据世界能源新闻网2020年7月29日首尔报道，全球第5大原油进口国韩国的两家炼油厂日前公布了他们今年上半年有史以来的最大亏损，导致创历史新高亏损的主要原因是新冠肺炎疫情大流行造成了油价暴跌并因此破坏了燃料需求。

    韩国最大炼油企业SK能源公司的母公司SK创新公司29日公布的统计数据显示，其第二季度营运亏损4400亿韩元(3.67亿美元)，上半年亏损高达2.2万亿韩元。一年前，该公司公布第二季度营运利润为4940亿韩元。

    SK创新公司一位要求不具名的官员对路透社记者表示：“受疫情影响，今年上半年油价最为糟糕，由于疫情削弱了市场对石油产品需求，我们不得不有意降低产能。”

    在主要产油国增加了石油产量以及全球封锁减少了燃料需求以后，石油价格在4月份跌到了1999年以来的最低水平。

    韩国第3大炼油企业S-Oil (S-Oil)公司今年上半年也出现了最大亏损，亏损额高达1.2万亿韩元。

    SK创新公司在蔚山和仁川的炼油厂具有每日115万桶原油的炼油产能。SK创新公司表示，今年4月至6月，该公司炼油产能的平均利用率为77%，而去年同期为88%。

    SK创新公司办公室主管Kim Jang-woo对分析师表示，该公司计划在今年下半年关闭蔚山炼油厂的3号原油蒸馏装置(CDU)。

    SK创新公司没有提供定期维护的持续时间及其影响的细节。

    在第二季度较低的开工率之前，SK能源公司在5月和6月关闭了位于蔚山的26万桶/天的5号CDU进行定期维护。

    近几周封锁措施的放松提振了炼油行业的利润率，但任何燃料需求的复苏都是不平坦的，这是因为新冠病毒疫情的再度爆发可能会引发新的限制措施。

    SK创新公司股价日前在收盘时下跌了1.5%，而韩国综合股价指数上涨了0.3%。

    李峻 编译自 世界能源新闻网

    原文如下：

    S.Korean Refiners Post Record H1 Losses

    Two refiners in South Korea, the world's fifth largest crude oil importer, posted their biggest losses ever in the first half when oil prices slumped as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged fuel demand.

    SK Innovation Co Ltd, owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, reported on Wednesday a second-quarter operating loss of 440 billion won ($367 million), taking its first-half losses to 2.2 trillion won. A year earlier, it posted an operating profit of 494 billion won in the second quarter.

    "We saw the worst oil price in the first half of this year hit by the pandemic and we had to purposely lower our capacity because the pandemic sapped oil demand," an SK Innovation official told Reuters, asking not to be named.

    Oil prices fell in April to their lowest since 1999 after top producers increased production and global lockdowns decimated fuel demand.

    South Korea's third largest refiner by capacity S-Oil Corp also recorded its biggest first-half loss at 1.2 trillion won.

    SK Innovation, which has refining capacity of 1.115 million barrels per day (bpd) at plants in Ulsan and Incheon, said it operated the facilities at 77% of capacity on average in the April-June period, versus 88% a year earlier.

    Kim Jang-woo, the head of SK Innovation's Finance 3 Office, told analysts the company planned to shut its No.3 crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Ulsan plant in the second half of the year.

    The company did not provide details on the duration of scheduled maintenance and its impact.

    The lower run rates in the second quarter came as SK Energy shut down its 260,000 bpd No.5 CDU at Ulsan for scheduled maintenance in May and June.

    A relaxation of lockdown measures in recent weeks has boosted refining margins, but any fuel demand recovery is uneven as a resurgence in the novel coronavirus cases threatens to trigger new restrictions.

    SK Innovation's shares closed down 1.5%, while the broader market KOSPI rose 0.3%.