Paz Ashdod Oil Refinery is the Paz Group’s refining division, which manufactures petroleum products and electricity, both for ... its own use and to sell to customers. This division manages the supply chain, importing crude oil and feed materials, exporting products and more. The division also provides procurement service for the Group. Israel has two refineries, in Haifa and Ashdod. In 2006, Paz acquired the Ashdod refinery, which had been in operation since 1973. The purchase of the Ashdod refinery was a strategic move that made Paz the only energy group in Israel that owned a refinery. The Group's organizational structure enables Paz to operate vertically in the energy market, importing the oil, refining it in Ashdod, and marketing the resulting petroleum products to the domestic and foreign markets. The synergy between the Ashdod refinery and the Group's various other divisions constitutes a significant advantage that gives added value to the company. As of now, the Ashdod refinery has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons of crude oil a year and it operates under the most stringent quality and safety standards, to protect the environment and ensure the employees' safety. The Ashdod refinery is meticulous about the high quality of its products, and invests hundreds of millions of dollars in improving its refining capacity and product mix. The refinery’s facilities are now undergoing an upgrade that by 2013 will increase refinery throughput to more than 5 million tons per year. These improvements will also: (1) Improve the refinery’s product mix (2) Reduce dependency on external sources and imported materials, and (3) Increase electricity production to more than 100 MW. read more