While it was rumored that the Dung Quat Oil Refinery had temporarily halted operations, its operator, the Binh Son Refinery and Petrochemical Co Ltd, asserted in a media meeting on Monday that the plant is still running at full capacity. “It’s understandable that such a huge and significant refinery like Dung Quat receives special attention from the public, but some false information has been circulated these days,” CEO Nguyen Hoai Giang told reporters. Dung Quat is the country’s sole oil refinery, the construction of which consumed an enormous investment of US$2.2 billion. The Quang Ngai-based refinery, however, has had to undergo several suspensions for repair and maintenance since it began initial operation in 2009. The latest suspension ran from August 16 to 23, but the refinery has since “been constantly operating without any shutdowns,” the CEO asserted. The fuel commodities produced by Dung Quat are estimated to cover some 30 percent of the domestic consumption, but local fuel wholesalers have reportedly had to increase imports as the refinery supply was unstable. But Giang denied this, saying that although the refinery had to operate below capacity at some points, its supply remained stable as it always informed wholesalers of the reduced supply weeks in advance. “We also had to import 1,000 – 3,000 tons of fuel to make up for the reduction,” he said.Faults are OK As for the number of technical faults the refinery has suffered over the last three years, Giang said it is normal for such a huge plant with millions of parts to break down. “What’s important is we are more experienced in dealing with the faults,” he said. “Technical faults are not something particular to Dung Quat, but common for every plant or refinery in the world.” But he admitted that there are still a few more steps before the refinery is fully completed. “Similar technical faults should be completely solved before we officially take over the refinery from the contractor, Technip, by the end of this year,” he said.