OREANDA-NEWS. June 23, 2010. Mozyr Oil Refinery inaugurated a plant for hydrodesulphurizing catalytic gasoline on 23 June.

According to Director General of Mozyr Oil Refinery Anatoly Kupriyanov, the hydrodesulphurization plant is unparalleled in the CIS. The new installation will allow manufacturing Belarusian high-octane automobile petrol that will be compliant with the ecological standard Euro-5.

The project has cost about USD 100 million. The French company Axens is the grantor of the license to install the hydrodesulphurization plant. Axens’ representatives supervised the entire installation and tuning process.

The investment project to build the hydrodesulphurization plant is part of the complex plan designed to guide the retooling of Mozyr Oil Refinery. Despite certain difficulties caused by new conditions of Russian oil deliveries the company is now busy building a hydrogen manufacturing plant and a diesel fuel hydrotreating plant. According to the Director General, the former is supposed to go online in Q4 2010. Engineering works are supposed to finish at the diesel fuel hydrotreating plant this year.

Mozyr Oil Refinery was commissioned in 1975. It was converted into a joint-stock company in 1994. The state share in the company’s authorized fund stands at 42.7%, NGK Slavneft’s – 42.6%, other shareholders’ – 14.7%. The company is part of the Belarusian petrochemical concern Belneftekhim. In 2009 it processed 10.95 million tonnes of oil.