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Modernization of Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery underway

6 May 2019 12:44 (UTC+04:00)
Modernization of Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery underway

By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery, which processes 21 out of 24 grades of Azerbaijan crude and 15 different petroleum products, including automotive gasoline, aviation kerosene, diesel fuel, black oil, petroleum coke, etc., is currently being modernized and reconstructed.

Ibrahim Ahmadov, Deputy Head of the Public Relations Department at SOCAR, stated that the progress in implementation of the project to modernize the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery has reached 30 percent.

He noted that by the end of March, payments amounting to more than $500 million were made in the project.

"In general, at the moment, work continues on the detailed projection, procurement, delivery of equipment and materials to the territory of the refinery. Construction work is also underway,” he said.

Ahmadov also noted that the first stage of reconstruction and modernization of the refinery was completed in December 2018, when the opening of a new bitumen plant was held with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev.

He added that within the framework of the first stage, a new liquefied gas terminal was also commissioned.

Presently, Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery is being modernized and the work will be completed in 2021. After modernization, the refinery’s production capacity will be raised from six million to eight million tons per year, and useful life of plant will be extended to 2040.

The cost of the project of refinery’s reconstruction is estimated at about $2.2 billion.

Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery includes such high technology equipment as the ED-AV-6 unit (placed in service in 1976) for initial oil refining, a catalytic reforming unit (1980), a gradual coking unit (1986), and a catalytic cracker (1993).

The plant's most important units are the initial refining unit, the ED-AV-6 electric desalter, and the fuel oil vacuum distiller. In order to improve the quality of its petroleum products to meet international standards, technology for cleaning the fuel with alkali and producing naphthenic acid feedstock was acquired under licenses from the Merichem Company of the U.S.

The refinery meets the country’s entire demand for petroleum products, while 45 percent of its petroleum products are exported.

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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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