Petronas breaks ground on base oil plant

Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its Group III lubricant base oil plant, in September. The plant, located within the Petronas Refinery Complex in Malacca, is scheduled to come onstream in 2008. It will have the capacity to produce 6,500 barrels per day or about 300,000 tons per year. The plant will use high-wax feedstock to be sourced from Petronas’ refineries in Melaka and Kertih, which will then be further refined at the new base oil plant into Group III base oils. (September 22, 2006)