Indian workers’ strike halts operations at Karbala Refinery

Shafaq News – Karbala
All operational and control units at the Karbala oil refinery have been shut down following a strike by Indian workers responsible for critical parts of the facility, a local lawmaker said on Thursday.
Zuhair al-Fatlawi, a member of parliament representing Karbala, told Shafaq News that workers from the Indian company managing the operation, control, and hydrogenation units staged a protest outside the refinery’s administration in response to delayed salary payments.
“The failure to pay their salaries led to a complete shutdown of all operating, control, and hydrogenation units inside the refinery,” al-Fatlawi confirmed.
He added that direct communication is underway between refinery management and relevant authorities, alongside parliamentary efforts to resolve the issue swiftly and restore operations.
One of Iraq’s Key Energy Assets
Iraq inaugurated the Karbala Refinery in April 2023 with a production capacity of 150,000 barrels per day. However, it has been out of service since September 25, 2024, due to intensive maintenance. Two months later, the Prime Minister instructed that operations resume at the start of 2025.
The Karbala refinery is regarded as one of Iraq’s most strategic energy infrastructure projects. According to Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani, the facility supplies 8,000 to 9,000 cubic meters of gasoline per day and has helped reduce fuel imports to between 4,000 and 5,000 cubic meters.