Belarusian oil refinery Naftan expected to commission delayed coking plant by year end
POLOTSK, 8 October (BelTA) – OAO Naftan has to complete startup and commissioning operations at the delayed coking plant by the end of the year, BelTA learned from Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko after the head of government visited the enterprise.
The delayed coking plant caught fire on 28 September. Safeguards kicked in correctly. Local firefighters and the company’s personnel did what they were supposed to. They localized the fire together. “The fire caused certain damage. An investigation is in progress to find out what technical malfunction caused the fire: an error during the design stage or incorrect actions during construction and installation. It is now necessary to assess the full damage. It is not that large. We’ve discussed it with the company’s management today. The survey will be completed soon,” Roman Golovchenko said.
In his words, the incident was fundamentally evaluated, this is why the time Naftan’s new plant needs in order to reach the designed output capacity has to be reduced. “The president wants the work to be finished by the end of the year. The instruction still stands. Naturally it is necessary to observe all the safety rules and technological requirements. Contractors are working at the site now calculating the time they will need. It is necessary to finish startup and commissioning by the end of this year,” the prime minister stressed. The fact that neither Novopolotsk residents nor other Naftan installations have been affected by the incident is the key thing.
Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova was also present during Roman Golovchenko’s meeting with the Naftan management.
BelTA reported earlier that the implementation of the investment project will allow increasing the crude oil upgrading index to 90%, with the output of light oil products up to 65%. The output of gasoline and diesel fuel will be increased while the output of furnace fuel will be reduced. The investment project costs $1 billion. The new plant made samples of oil coke in early October.
