UPDATE 2-Giant Russian gas plant suspends intake from Kazakhstan after Ukrainian drone strike

(Recasts with Kazakh statement) MOSCOW, Oct 19 (Reuters) – The Orenburg gas processing plant, the largest facility of its kind in the world, has been forced to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan after a Ukrainian drone attack, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Sunday. Orenburg regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev had said earlier on Sunday that the plant had been partially damaged and that the drone strike had caused a fire to break out at a workshop at the plant. The fire was later put out, Russian media outlet Kommersant reported, citing the operator. Ukraine, which confirmed it hit a gas processing plant in the Orenburg region and an oil refinery in the Samara region, has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries and other energy facilities since August to try to disrupt petrol supplies and deprive Moscow of funding. Ukrainian military said there were explosions and fire at the site. It is the first reported strike on the plant, which forms part of the Orenburg gas chemical complex. The facility, operated by Gazprom, has an annual processing capacity of 45 billion cubic metres and handles gas condensate from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field. Kazakhstan's energy ministry said Gazprom had notified it of the emergency but had yet to provide details on the extent of the damage or a timeline for resuming full operations. Nobody was reported to have been hurt in the attack. Separately, the governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said on social media that air defences had also been in action overnight against Ukrainian drones and that the local airport and mobile internet services had been temporarily suspended. Ukraine has previously tried to strike an oil refinery in the Samara region. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement that its air defence forces had shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 12 over the Samara region, 11 over the Saratov region, and one over the Orenburg region. (Reporting by Reuters Moscow Buro and Tamara Vaal Editing by Andrew Osborn and Louise Heavens)

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