Kulevi Refinery Switches to Kazakh, Libyan Oil Amid EU Sanctions
Georgia's Kulevi Refinery has started processing Kazakh-origin crude oil after phasing out Russian crude, BSP announced on August 4. The refinery began processing Kazakh crude at the beginning of July and expects to receive a cargo of Libyan-origin crude oil between August 20 and 30.
The move comes after the European Union added the Kulevi refinery to its 21st sanctions package in July, giving it until January 25, 2027, to phase out Russian crude oil. The six-month transition period was intended to allow the refinery to diversify away from Russian crude.
BSP said that switching to Kazakh and Libyan crude will 'open doors to high-margin markets' for its products, including the EU. The Kulevi refinery has an annual capacity of 1.2 million metric tons and processed 650,000 metric tons of crude oil in the first half of 2026.
The refinery's owner, Black Sea Petroleum LLC (BSP), signed a crude oil supply agreement with an international trading company on July 3, which includes an option to extend until the end of 2027. BSP has been committed to operating in accordance with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements and strengthening its internal governance and controls.