Russian oil companies launch four facilities

Russia’s Finance Ministry announced that the country’s oil companies have launched four of the 10 facilities planned under Russia’s 2012 oil refinery modernization program. The four facilities are the catalytic cracking gasoline hydrotreatment unit with a capacity of 870,000 tons a year, which was brought online at OJSC Slavneft-YANOS; a diesel fuel hydrotreatment unit, with a 2-million-ton-a-year capacity, which was launched at the KINEF oil refinery of Surgutneftegas; a gasoline hydrotreatment unit, with a 1.2 million-ton capacity, which was built by OJSC Gazpromneft; and a 3 million-ton-a-year diesel fuel hydrotreatment unit which was commissioned by LLC Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka. In addition to these, four units were fully reconstructed by Rosneft, Orsk Oil Refinery, Gazprom Neft, and OJSC Saratov Oil Refinery. Russia plans to commission and finish rebuilding 88 units between 2012 and 2015. These 88 units include 40 gasoline units, 30 diesel units and 18 catalytic cracking and hydrocracking units. The program to modernize oil refining capacities was launched last year and was based on RUB1 trillion (US$31.2 million) in investments from oil companies. (July 10, 2012)