Vietnam to focus on quality, rather than capacity, at Dung Quat

According to Nguyen Hoai Giang, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company (BSR) general director, BSR has decided to give priority to the smooth operations of
its Dung Quat refinery to ensure its safety, rather than raise its capacity this year. He said that Dung Quat, the first refinery in Vietnam, will likely be producing 5.6 million metric tons (mmt) of various petroleum products this year, around 1 mmt lower than its designed capacity. The facility, which produced 5.5 mmt in 2012, was shut down for 68 days due to technical problems last year. It brought revenues of VND 126 trillion (US$5.9 billion) and contributed VND 17.5 trillion (US$829.7 million) to the state budget.
 
The Dung Quat refinery cost US$3.05 billion and took four years to construct. It meets one-third of the country’s demand for petroleum products. The 15 million tons of crude oil fed to the facility since it started operations in 2009 has come from Bach Ho and other domestic oilfields, as well as from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. It has sold 13.4 million tons of products to the local market. This year, Vietnam is planning to import 1.14 mmt of crude oil for the refinery. (January 11, 2013)