OREANDA-NEWS. August 4, 2011. National Company “KazMunayGas” announces Rompetrol Rafinare, company member of The Rompetrol Group (a subsidiary of JSC NC “KazMunayGas”) started the last phase of its program for the Petromidia Refinery capacity increase to 5 million tons. The value of the investments made to this extent amounts so far up to 234 million USD, the total value being estimated at 377 million USD.

The Petromidia Refinery “Refining Investment Package 2010” modernization program, initiated in 2006, will be completed in the first quarter of 2012, when other three new units will be integrated in the production process: mild hydro cracking unit, hydrogen unit and sulphur recovery unit.

“The program is part of the strategy of The Rompetrol Group and its sole shareholder – JSC NC “KazMunayGas”, to consolidate and develop presence in Central and Eastern Europe. Also, this program supports the company’s objective to join the top 25 refineries in Europe, based on profitability and operations results”, states Arman Kairdenov, General Director of Rompetrol Rafinare.

When modernization of the main production unit is complete, the refinery’s throughput will increase from 4 million to 5 million tons of raw material, and the diesel yield will rise. In addition, 100% of the products will comply with the Euro-5 standard in accordance with the stipulations of the European Union, the technological losses and the impact on the environment (emission into the atmosphere and storage of dangerous wastes) will decrease, and the cost price of the raw materials will be reduced due to the opportunity to fully switch over to the Urals crude.

For this year, Rompetrol Rafinare further plans to modernize the refinery gas desulphurization unit, transform the distilled vacuum desulphurization unit into a diesel desulphurization unit, as well as construct a new nitrogen producing plant and a new flare system.

Rominserv, the general contractor of The Rompetrol Group, has coordinated the modernization works, collaborating for this project with licensors and local and international major engineering companies, such as IPIP Romania, UOP, Axens, Technip, Haldor Topsoe and LGI.

Furthermore, to support the modernization programme, The Rompetrol Group has carried out additional works on the Petromidia platform, including the construction of a terminal located on the shore of the Black Sea, for oil supply, expansion of the fuel (diesel and gasoline) and LPG (liquid petroleum gas) export capacity through Berth 9 of the Midia port, as well as the modernization and automation of the tank farm.

In this year The Rompetrol Group plans to refine 4.17 million tons of raw material (incl. 3.94 million tons of oil) and make 216 million USD of investments, out of which 180 million USD will be channeled to the processing capacity increase program for the Petromidia Refinery.