Petronor begins turnaround at Bilbao refinery

May 31, 2019
Petroleos del Norte SA (Petronor) has started planned maintenance on the largest of two crude distillation units at its 240,000-b/d refinery at Muskiz near Bilbao, Spain. The more-than 140,000-b/d Refining Unit 1 was taken offline on May 27 for a scheduled turnaround that will run through the first half of July, Petronor said.

Petroleos del Norte SA (Petronor) has started planned maintenance on the largest of two crude distillation units at its 240,000-b/d refinery at Muskiz near Bilbao, Spain.

The more-than 140,000-b/d Refining Unit 1 was taken offline on May 27 for a scheduled turnaround that will run through the first half of July, Petronor said.

As part of the turnaround, which will require an overall investment of about €49 million, the operator said it will spend €27 million on routine maintenance and upgrades to the unit, with the remaining €22 million to be allocated to technology improvements.

The main project to be executed during the turnaround includes installation of an air preheater in the crude furnace to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the unit.

During the maintenance period, Petronor said the more-than 100,000-b/d Refining Unit 2 will continue to operate normally at the site, allowing the refinery to guarantee ongoing supplies to its customers.

The last turnaround of Refining Unit 1—which receives crude feedstock from the Port of Bilbao for processing to serve other units of the company—took place in 2013, Petronor confirmed. The operator said it also completed a €52-million turnaround involving maintenance, upgrades, and technology improvements at the refinery’s conversion unit in January.

Petronor is owned by Repsol SA 85.98% and Kutxabank SA 14.02%.

Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].