Shell begins restart of Europe's largest oil refinery

[LONDON] Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it was restarting a number of units at the 404,000 barrels per day Pernis oil refinery in the Netherlands after shutting down most of the site on July 30.

"Complete restart will take place in a structured and controlled way," the oil major said in an emailed statement, without identifying which units were resuming operations.

Shell shut the units at Europe's largest refinery following a power outage due to a fire in the power supply system on July 29.

Last week, Shell said it did not expect to restart operations at Pernis until at least the second half of this month.

Profit margins for petroleum products rose sharply in Europe following the shutdown.

REUTERS