Astrakhan gas processing plant suspended operations again due to drone attack

The Astrakhan gas processing plant has again suspended its operations due to a drone attack.

This became known thanks to the Reuters agency.

The fire at the enterprise, which broke out on September 22, engulfed a condensate production unit with a capacity of 3 million tons per year. This equipment is responsible for the production of gasoline and diesel fuel.

The governor of the Astrakhan region, Igor Babushkin, confirmed in his Telegram that drones had hit the industrial facility, but did not provide further details about it. He also noted that 13 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the region, which led to “local fires.”

The plant, located near the Caspian Sea and about 1,675 km from the Ukrainian border, may resume operations in just a few weeks or even months.

Starting Monday, the St. Petersburg Commodity Exchange suspended sales of wholesale fuel from the Astrakhan plant.

Gazprom’s Astrakhan gas processing plant is one of the largest gas chemical complexes in the world. Its first stage was put into operation in 1985, and the next two in 1986 and 1997.

The plant employs about 5,600 people, and its products include motor gasoline, diesel fuel, and technical sulfur.

In 2024, the plant processed 1.8 million tons of stable condensate and produced 800,000 tons of gasoline, 600,000 tons of diesel fuel, and 300,000 tons of fuel oil.

It was also reported that Russia is trying to return its military intelligence agent detained in Poland by putting him on the international wanted list.