Tag: Refinery

Following an increase in its processing capacity, Duqm Refinery is now looking at further expansion projects at the $9 billion refinery project located, in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) on Oman’s southeast coast. The refinery, which now has an expanded capacity of 255,000 bbl/d, is run by OQ8, a joint venture between Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) and Oman’s OQ Group. Speaking to local media, CEO Abdulla Al Ajmi said that OQ8 has now begun front end engineering design on a reformer unit to upgrade naphtha into high-octane gasoline components such as reformate, a critical step in producing finished, specification-grade fuels. In addition to the proposed reformer unit, Duqm Refinery is also exploring opportunities to enhance value creation from its refining by-products, notably sulphur and coke.

The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released its final investigation report into the fatal release of hydrogen sulphide at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Texas in October 2024.

Maire Group subsidiary KTKinetics Technology says that it has completed work on the Rijeka Refinery Upgrade Project in Croatia, having completed the engineering, procurement and construction activities. The scope of work included a new delayed coking unit to process heavy residue and eliminate the production of fuel oil while increasing refinery efficiency capacity, the revamping of the process units and the utility network and the implementation of the latest solutions for coke handling and storage and sea jetty construction and shipping loading facilities.

Repsol says that it is planning a 100MW green hydrogen plant to supply its Petronor refinery near Bilbao. From 2029, the plant will supply the refinery with 15,000 t/a of green hydrogen. Repsol says that the installation could prevent up to 167,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The €292m ($346m) project has already secured €160m ($190m) in NextGenerationEU funds from the Spanish Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, after being recognised as a Project of Common European Interest by the European Commission.

Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom has commissioned a new sulphur recovery unit at its Petrobrazi refinery, near the southern city of Ploiesti. Development work on the new SRU began in 2023, and represents the second at the site, treating acid gas produced during the refining process. The euro 45 million investment is part of euro 2 billion of improvements that have been made over the past 20 years as part of the company’s strategy to modernise its refining capabilities, aiming to reduce environmental impact. Last year, the company said it would invest around euro 750 million to build several sustainable fuel plants at the refinery, which are expected to become operational in 2028.

Viva Energy has commissioned a new ultra-low sulphur gasoline (ULSG) plant at its Geelong refinery to meet Australia’s updated fuel standards, which came into effect on December 15. Under the standards, all gasoline grades must contain a maximum of 10 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, a so-called Euro-V standard. The ULSG plant was officially opened by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen MP, alongside Viva Energy Chairman Robert Hill and CEO Scott Wyatt.

A UK–based energy watchdog, the Impact Investigators Platform (IIP), has dismissed allegations that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery imported substandard gasoline into Nigeria, describing the claims as “technically inaccurate, commercially implausible, and unsupported by verifiable evidence.” The IIP said its independent assessment of shipping data, customs declarations, and refinery process documentation found no indication that the refinery imported or sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with sulphur levels above Nigeria’s approved limit of 50 parts per million (ppm). The investigation followed media reports alleging that a vessel had delivered high-sulphur gasoline to the Dangote Refinery under the guise of locally refined products. However, the IIP clarified that the cargo in question was an intermediate feedstock , a raw material used for refining and not finished gasoline meant for retail.

YPF says that its modernisation of the Luján de Cuyo refinery has taken a step forward with the installation of a hydrodesulphurisation reactor, designed to remove sulphur compounds from diesel fuel by means of a catalytic process using hydrogen. The installation forms part of the refinery’s New Fuel Specifications (NEC) project, intended to produce of fuels with a lower environmental impact. The new reactor was built in Mendoza by IMPSA. With a length of 38 meters and a weight of 456 tons, it was moved from Godoy Cruz to the YPF plant in a logistic operation that involved Vialidad Nacional, Mendoza Police and local authorities. It will now be integrated into the HDS II unit, designed to reduce sulphur content in diesel to 10 parts per million, in line with current environmental requirements. The NEC plan includes new process units, such as H2 II and SE33, the adaptation of existing facilities and the improvement of auxiliary services. The project, already 85% complete, will allow all the diesel oil produced in Luján de Cuyo to comply with the highest emission requirements.

Topsoe has been selected as the renewable diesel technology partner for CountryMark’s Mount Vernon, Indiana refinery. Located in southwestern Indiana, the refinery processes 35,000 bbl/d of crude oil. With the addition of Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology, CountryMark aims to produce up to 250,000 barrels of renewable diesel annually. The new unit is expected to enable an emission avoidance of approximately 84,500 t/a of CO2 e. CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative, will use local soybean oil as the primary feedstock to produce renewable diesel, helping create a locally sourced renewable fuel economy in Indiana.

Sulphur output in North America continues to decline due to refinery closures and conversions at the same time that acid demand is increasing for metals processing projects.