Modernization underway at Baku Oil Refinery

20 June 2019 16:17 (UTC+04:00)

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By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

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

The 2nd and 3rd stages of the modernization project of the Baku Oil Refinery are being implemented contemporaneously, Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR told Trend.

It was noted that the new bitumen plant was put into operation during the 1st stage of the project and is already completely functional.

The unit produces bitumen in volumes meeting the demand in the domestic market.

Currently, modernization work is being conducted at the Baku Oil Refinery, set to be finished by 2021. After modernization, the refinery’s production capacity will be raised from six million to eight million tons per year, and useful life of the plant will be extended to 2040.

The current oil refining unit (ELOU AVT) at the refinery was established in 1976.

The estimated cost of the refinery’s modernization is approximately $2.2 billion.

Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery includes such high technology equipment as the ED-AV-6 unit for initial oil refining, a catalytic reforming unit, a gradual coking unit, and a catalytic cracker.

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, 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 the products are exported.

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