Venezuelan state energy giant PDVSA expects its refineries to run at 44 percent capacity in August due to crude supply issues, Reuters reported on Tuesday. At maximum output, the refinery network can process up to 1.64 million barrels per day, but crude supply issues last month caused the facilities to run at just 45 percent of their maximum level, the report said. The biggest declines in crude processing will stem from scale-backs in the Puerto la Cruz, Amaya and Cardon refineries. Of the twelve distillation units present at those three facilities, seven are inactive due to overdue repairs and limited supply of essential crude grades. If planned maintenance work at Cardon is completed successfully, another distillation unit could restart next month. Low oil output since 2012 has stunted the production of the nation’s refineries. The Puerto La Cruz refinery, which processes 187,000 barrels per day of crude regularly, now […]