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Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery to book over 10 bln yen net loss in 2023, Idemitsu says

Nghi Child Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP) in Vietnam is expected to book a web loss of a minimum of 10 billion yen ($ 67 million) for 2023 due to heavy costs from increasing U.S. rates of interest, an executive of Idemitsu Kosan said on Tuesday.

Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu owns 35.1% stake in NSRP, Vietnam's biggest refinery.

Nghi Child continues to deal with the red ink on a net profits basis due to heavy monetary expenses brought on by high rate of interest on the U.S. dollar, Yoshitaka Onuma, Idemitsu' executive officer, told an earnings news conference.

We can't disclose the exact loss figure, however net loss is expected to surpass 10 billion yen, he said.

Still, Nghi Son refinery is running above 100% of specified capacity after finishing set up maintenance in late October, and the Vietnamese business is expected to book a positive running earnings for the year, leaving out inventory impact, he stated.

Idemitsu is continuing discussions with other sponsors and lending institutions regarding the funding of Nghi Kid and the steps aimed at turning it lucrative on a net basis, Onuma stated, without defining the targeted timing for reaching an arrangement.

Nghi Kid is 35.1% owned by Kuwait Petroleum, 25.1% by Vietnam's state oil firm PetroVietnam, and 4.7% by Mitsui Chemicals.

Idemitsu on Tuesday reported a 4.2% drop in April to December net earnings due to smaller sized inventory gains and dropping rates of thermal coal.

Japan's second-biggest refinery posted an earnings of 239.1 billion yen in the 9 months through Dec. 31 compared with 249.6 billion yen a year previously.

The business stayed with its full-year revenue projection through end-March of 180 billion yen, against the 176 billion yen mean quote delivered by a survey of seven experts compiled by LSEG.

Its domestic refineries' run rate is expected at around 80%. in the current year to March 31, Onuma said.