Production at Iraq's largest oil refinery was halted after a fire caused serious damage to the complex, sources within the company operating the refinery said Friday.
Civil defence teams brought the fire under control four hours after it started, sending thick black smoke from the facility located in Beiji, some 200 kilometres north of Baghdad, DPA reported.
The cause of the fire was being investigated, according to the sources.
The plant was shut down last March after gunmen attacked it, killing four engineers and bombing three production units.
The Beiji refinery is a main fuel supplier for several electricity power stations. Shutting down the plant is expected to affect the country's power shortage problems.
Thousands of people protested since last summer across Iraq to demand an improvement in electricity services.