Gazprom Neft has started up catalytic cracking and light-naphtha isomerization units enabling its 12.15 million tonne/year Moscow refinery to produce gasoline as well as diesel meeting low-sulfur Euro 5 standards.
The cat cracker, with an associated hydrotreating unit, cost $177 million to build and has a capacity of 1.2 million tpy. The $338-million isom unit’s capacity is 650,000 tpy.
Gazprom Neft earlier started production of Euro 5 diesel at the refinery after rebuilding a diesel hydrotreater and adding a hydrotreatment unit (OGJ Online, June 3, 2013).
Start-up of Euro 5 gasoline output completes the first stage of a modernization project at the refinery.
Gazprom Neft said the next stage will comprise projects to improve refining yield and increase production of light oil products.
It expects to have spent more than $4 billion by 2020 on the modernization program, which began in 2009.
