Provisional Government Tests Operation of Thanlyin Refinery Part 1 for International Sanctions and Airstrike Needs

Amidst international sanctions and punitive measures on jet fuel imports, the provisional government has begun testing the operation of Thanlyin Refinery Project Part 1 in Yangon Region, with the aim of self-producing the jet fuel and fuel oil critically needed for their military activities, it has been learned. The refinery, which had been halted due to being non-operational after the military coup, was revived starting in 2023 under the directive of interim President and military leader Min Aung Hlaing, and is being worked towards a projected capacity of processing approximately 500,000 tons of crude oil per year. The provisional government's rapid reactivation of refineries like this is being implemented with the assistance of some Chinese companies to strategically produce the jet fuel needed by the military, which is brutally bombing ethnic regions and urban areas, according to the observations of revolutionary and civil society monitoring organizations such as Justice for Myanmar (JFM). Provisional government Energy Minister U Ko Ko Lwin stated that efforts are being made to quickly bring refineries online due to global fuel difficulties and rising prices. He stated that the project is being undertaken because the country still relies almost 100% on imports for fuel, and that upon completion of the second phase, the aim is to be able to produce up to 60 percent of the nation's gasoline needs and 50 percent of its diesel oil needs domestically, according to the provisional government. However, the most consumed fuels domestically are RON 91 and RON 95, while the level that will be produced by the current domestic refineries is likely to be only RON 68 and RON 79. The current operation of the Thanlyin Refinery, built in 1925 during the British colonial era, is the first stage where control, monitoring, and adjustments can be performed from the Control Room, it has been learned. During the NLD civilian government's tenure, the refinery's operation had also been suspended due to limitations in crude oil availability and the poor quality of the resulting products. Currently, fuel prices have risen many times higher than raw material costs, and the provisional government is striving to upgrade factories such as the Thanlyin and Magway Region, Thayetmyo Township oil chemical factory (Thanpyar Kan) to maintain their military and political standing. Photo – Provisional Government