Petróleos Paraguayos (Petropar)

Petróleos Paraguayos (Petropar) is the state-owned oil company of Paraguay, an autonomous entity with its own assets and legal status. Its main industrial plant is the Villa Elisa Refinery, located on the left bank of the Paraguay River, about 15 km from Asuncion, on a 64-hectare site. The refinery has a processing capacity of some 7,500 barrels per day and came into operation in 1966 as Refineria Paraguaya S.A. (REPSA), the first in the country. In 1985, by decree, the Paraguayan State acquired the shares of the private shareholders and became the sole owner of Petropar, which became an autonomous entity. The company imports, stores, distributes and markets fuels -diesel, gasoline and alcohol- throughout the national territory, and at its central plant in Villa Elisa it has around 310,000 cubic meters of storage capacity. It plays a key role in the country's fuel pricing and supply policy.