MINSK, 12 December (BelTA) – Belneftekhim intends to settle the matter of compensation for polluted Russian oil by the end of the year, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim Andrei Rybakov on 12 December.
The official said: “We are working with the colleagues to put the matter to rest. We are in the final stage of working out the solutions that will allow us to finally turn the page and irreversibly I hope. There is no deadline [for settling the matter of compensation for polluted oil] but we would certainly like to begin the new year with a clean slate.”
Asked about the intended size of the compensation as large as $70 million, the official explained it is one of the calculated options.
“For now negotiations are in progress between Belneftekhim and the Russian Federation Energy Ministry. We hope the worked out solutions will allow us to turn this page,” Andrei Rybakov concluded.
BelTA reported earlier that on 19 April 2019 Belneftekhim registered a massive decrease in the quality of the Russian oil mixture Urals coming via the oil pipeline system Druzhba. The concentration of chlororganic compounds in oil exceeded standard thresholds dozens of times over. A number of countries stopped taking and processing Russian oil as a result. Both Belarusian oil refineries – OAO Naftan and Mozyr Oil Refinery – were forced to reduce their workload and suffered financial losses. Damage was also caused to the pipeline system.