Vagit
Alekperov, President of OAO LUKOIL, and Nikolai Maksyuta, Head of Volgograd
region, participated in the ceremony held in Volgograd today to mark the
commissioning of an isomerization unit at OOO
LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka.
The installation will produce a high-octane
component of automobile gasolines called izomerizate. Its application will
enable the Volgograd refinery to start producing gasoline fully complying with
the Euro-3 standard in 2008.
The
capacity of the new unit is 385 thousand tons of raw materials per annum. The
operations and catalyst license was obtained from UOP (USA). Design and estimate
documentation was elaborated by OAO LUKOIL-Rostovneftekhimprodukt and ZAO
Neftekhimproekt (St. Petersburg). ZAO Globalstroy-Engineering acted as a general
contractor for construction of the unit.
“Commissioning
of the isomerization unit at the Volgograd refinery is yet another step in our
large-scale project aimed at reconstructing and upgrading LUKOIL refineries. It
is an excellent present for the 50th anniversary of the enterprise,
which is being celebrated at the present time”,
Mr. Alekperov said.
In
2006, the Volgograd refinery produced 9.12 million tons of commercial products,
with high-octane gasoline output at 544 thousand tons, i.e., 63 % of the total
automobile gasoline output.