Fitch Solutions: STAR Refinery began diversifying its oil supply sources

At the end of 2025, the STAR oil refinery, an asset of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in Türkiye, began reducing purchases of Russian oil, reflecting a gradual geopolitical shift, Report informs, citing international analytical company Fitch Solutions.

Effectively serving as an alternative source of oil and natural gas instead of Russia, Azerbaijan has benefited from relative geopolitical distancing from the previously sanctioned country, said Fitch Solutions.

"The STAR refinery uses Russian oil as feedstock at 98%, of which 73% is supplied directly by the Russian company LUKOIL, already under US sanctions. At the end of 2025, the STAR plant began reducing purchases of Russian oil, reflecting a gradual geopolitical shift. According to Reuters sources, the plant has started seeking alternative supplies, recently purchasing four shipments of oil from Kazakhstan, Iraq, and other countries not linked to Russia. This indicates a change from previous practice, when Russian oil constituted the main part of STAR's feedstock," Fitch Solutions states.

On October 19, 2018, the opening ceremony of the STAR refinery took place in Izmir. The foundation of the plant was laid on October 5, 2011. STAR holds the first strategic investment incentive certificate in Türkiye.

Initially, STAR processed 10 million tons of oil per year, and in 2021 the refinery's capacity increased to 11 million tons. Today, the plant has a capacity to process 13.5 million tons of crude oil per year. The facility is capable of processing such grades of oil as Urals, Azeri Light, and Kirkuk. The plant can produce 1.6 million tons of naphtha, 4.8 million tons of diesel, as well as jet fuel, LPG, petroleum coke, and mixed xylene.