Ste. Nationale Elf Aquitaine will spend 1.7 billion francs ($283 million) on two refining projects in France designed to boost production of unleaded gasoline.
It will build a 15,800 b/d continuous catalytic reformer at the 200,000 b/d Donges refinery in Britanny and a 6,750 b/d alkylation plant at Lavera in southern France where its chemicals subsidiary Atochem has a manufacturing operation.
The two new units will complete the 2.5 billion franc ($416 million) spending program launched in 1990 to meet growing demand for unleaded gasoline.
The first part of the program was a 4,852 b/d hydrotreating plant at the 92,000 b/d Grandpuits refinery, due on stream this month.
Work has also started on a 3,058 b/d alkylation plant at the 120,000 b/d Feyzin refinery and a 6,300 b/d isomerization unit at Elf U.K. Ltd.'s 108,000 b/d refinery at Milford Haven, South Wales.
The project at Lavera is part of a complex deal to make unleaded gasoline available in southern France, where Elf currently has no manufacturing units.
In parallel with the Elf project, Ste. Francaise de Petroles BP is building an isomerization unit at its nearby 177,000 b/d Lavera refinery.
As a result of a product exchange agreement, Elf will have access to 8,438 b/d of gasoline by 1993. The 3,164 b/d of alkylates not involved in the exchange will be used by other Elf refineries in France.
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