The territory of present-day Romania started producing oil in 1857; oil facilities became an important strategic military target in 1916 during World War I. The Kingdom of Romania was the largest producer of oil in Europe during World War II (with the exception of USSR whose primary oil source was in Azerbaijan), and the oil extracted from Romania was essential for Axis military operations. Allied bombers attacked the Romanian petrochemical industry near Ploiești heavily (see Operation Tidal Wave) before the Soviet Red Army occupied the oilfields in August 1944. After the war, significant reconstruction and expansion took place under the communist regime. Since 1989, most of the industry has been privatized. Possessing substantial oil-refining capacities, present-day Romania has a particular interest in the Central Asia-Europe pipelines and seeks to strengthen its relations with some Arab States of the Persian Gulf. With 10 refineries and an overall refining-capacity of approximately , Romania has the largest refining industry in the eastern European region. Romania's refining-capacity output far exceeds domestic demand for refined petroleum products, allowing the country to export a wide range of oil products and petrochemicals — such as lubricants, bitumen, and fertilizers — throughout the eastern European region. Refineries This is an incomplete list of oil refineries in Romania: Arpechim Refinery, (Petrom/OMV), Astra Refinery, (Interagro), Petrobrazi Refinery, (Petrom/OMV), Petromidia Constanţa Refinery, (Rompetrol), Petrotel Lukoil Refinery, (LUKOIL), Petrolsub Suplacu de Barcău Refinery, (Petrom/OMV), RAFO Oneşti Refinery, (Calder A), Steaua Romană Câmpina Refinery, (Omnimpex Chemicals), Vega Ploieşti Refinery, (Rompetrol), See also Oil campaign of World War II Economy of Romania Industry of Romania Operation Tidal Wave 1857 - First drilling of oil wells at Bend, northeast of Bucharest, on the Romanian side of the Carpathians; this year is registered as a beginning of Romania’s oil production. It happened 11 years after the drilling of the first oil well in Baku (in Bibi-Heybat settlement) in 1846. References External links Romanian Petroleum History www.geohelp.net/world.html Mirbabayev Miryusif. Brief history of the first oil drilling wells in Baku region - "Noema" (Romania), 2018, v.XVII, p.175-185 Vassiliou Marius. Historical dictionary of petroleum industry; 2nd edition - 2018, Lanham MD: Rowman and Littlefield-Scarecrow Press. p. 593 Marius Vassiliou, Miryusif Mirbabayev. US and Azerbaijani oil in the Nineteenth Century: Two Titans. - USA, Lexington Books Publisher, 2022. - 259 p. Economy of Romania Romania Energy in Romania Petrochemical industry Petroleum in Romania