Johannesburg - Energy Minister Dipuo Peters wants an audit of the country’s oil refineries to establish their reliability in the face of increasing unplanned refinery shutdowns, the ministry said on Thursday.
The economy has recently been hit by shortages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bitumen due to planned and unplanned shutdowns at four of the country’s six refineries.
“To address her concerns over the increasing frequency and severity of unplanned refinery shutdowns.... (The minister) requires that an audit of the existing refineries be conducted to establish their reliability, availability and capacities,” the ministry said in a statement.