One of Australia’s two remaining oil refineries will be shut down for maintenance work for around six weeks from August 2026 – two months later than planned.
Ampol has revealed its decision to postpone maintenance at its Lytton refinery in Brisbane is due to the current fuel supply issues affecting large parts of the country.
Scheduled maintenance work was scheduled to begin in June 2026, but the company has decided to postpone the work, which will include inspections, repairs and upgrades to the facility.
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Ampol says the delay will allow about 300 million liters of gasoline, diesel and kerosene to be brought onto the market during this period.
In a statement provided, Ampol said the decision was made following “a detailed technical assessment” of the facility and confirmed that the Australian government was aware of the planned maintenance work.
As reported by Car Expert, Hundreds of gas stations across the country are either partially or completely out of fuel – while drivers who can find gasoline and diesel are struggling with significantly higher prices.
The government’s recent decision to relax fuel standards will also allow the Lytton refinery to supply an additional 80 to 100 million liters of petrol each month.
“The important role that Australian refiners play in supporting the resilience of our domestic fuel supply is reinforced in the current global oil market environment,” said Matt Halliday, managing director and CEO of Ampol.
“We look forward to continuing dialogue with the Federal Government in the coming months on the long-term prospects for transport fuel refining in Australia.”
The Lytton plant is one of two remaining oil refineries in Australia, along with the Viva Energy facility in Geelong, Victoria.
Between 2003 and 2023, the number of oil refineries operating in Australia fell from around eight to just two.
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