Petromidia Refinery – A New Beginning

The Rompetrol Group has successfully completed the modernization program of Petromidia Refinery – increasing processing capacity from 3.5 to 5 million tons of raw materials, starting up the exclusive production of Euro 5 fuels, as well as bringing production in line with the demand for oil products in Romania and the Black Sea region. The total value of investments related to this program amounts to over USD 380 millions.

“Petromidia Refinery is an important asset for KazMunayGas and Rompetrol, being technologically capable to fully process crude oil from Kazakhstan just by itself. The completion of this program comes to support the objectives of KazMunayGas in order to diversify crude oil export routes towards the European Union, the presence of the company both in the Black Sea region and in the Mediterranean Sea area, but also the integration of Rompetrol within the value network, from extraction wells to the client’s tank”, stated Daniyar Berlibayev, Senior Vice-president of KazMunayGas.

Initiated in 2006, the package aimed at carrying out nine major projects, such as the construction of five new plants (the mild hydro-cracking installation, the hydrogen production plant, the sulphur recovery unit, the nitrogen production plant and a new flare system), as well as the modernization/extension of other four such plants that were already in place (the gas desulphurization plant, the transformation of the vacuum distillate desulphurization plant into a Diesel oil desulphurization plant, the catalytic cracking plant, the gas desulphurization and sulphur recovery plant).

Out of the total amount allotted to this program, approximately USD 170 million were directed towards the construction and integration of the mild hydro-cracking plant into the refinery’s technological flow. This supports the company’s aims of increasing the annual Diesel fuel production from 1.5 million tons to 2.5 million tons, and of improving the yield of the Diesel fuel related to the production furnace by 8%, reaching the highest yield of white products in the region - 84%, as well as the exclusive production of Euro 5 fuels (sulphur content – 10 ppm), and of preparing the transition to the next quality and environmental standard – Euro 6 (sulphur content – 0 ppm).

Another project that is significant for the increase of the refinery’s capacity is the new hydrogen plant, which will provide the hydrogen needed for the extraction of sulphurs out of crude oil and fully aligning obtained output with the requirements of the Euro 5 standard. With a capacity of 40,000 cubic meters/hour, the plant will produce hydrogen with a purity of at least 99.98% at a pressure of minimum 86 bar.

The relevant works have been coordinated by Rominserv – the Group’s general contractor, and they involved the participation of over 280 companies (specialized in construction, engineering, as well as producers and suppliers), 3,500 people, 200 parts – weighing 5,600 tons, 2,400 tons of pipes and 280,000 centimeters of welding for ground consolidation, and 130 km of electric grids.

In parallel with the program for increasing the production capacity, the Rompetrol Group also developed other projects needed in order to sustain this program: building the terminal for crude oil procurement located offshore in the Black Sea, the tripling of oil products transit capacities through Berth 9 in Midia Port, the rehabilitation of the park of crude oil and finished products tanks, the construction of the liquefied petroleum gas import-export terminal. Furthermore, the company has allotted an additional amount of over USD 50 million for environmental projects, permanently observing European standards regarding fuels and the latest legal provisions on environmental protection.

“The completion of the program for the modernization and extension of Petromidia Refinery was the groundwork for the next step in developing the Rompetrol Group – the extension and consolidation of Rompetrol’s presence in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea regions, as well as the access to new markets such as Ukraine or Turkey”, stated Mr. Zhanat Tussupbekov, the manager of the Rompetrol Group.

The Group’s retail and trading activities are supported by over 1,100 fuel distribution points held and operated in countries such as Romania, Georgia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, France and Spain, a liquefied petroleum gas distribution network in Romania consisting of 250 filling stations, 10,000 gas cylinders distribution points. The Group also operates a total storage capacity of 1.1 million m3 in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions.

* Nelson Index is a reference term used to assign values to oil refineries based on their complexity level.

** Energy Intensity Index – a performance benchmark of the refining process – the energy used per production unit divided by an energy-per-unit "standard".

Corporate Communication and Public Relations Department

The Rompetrol Group