Gazprom Neft’s Omsk refinery nearing startup of new clean-diesel plant

PJSC Gazprom Neft subsidiary JSC Gazpromneft-ONPZ is progressing with startup activities for a new diesel production plant as part of the second phase of the operator’s ongoing modernization program to reduce environmental impacts and improve processing capacities, conversion rates, energy efficiency, and production qualities at its 22-million tonnes/year Omsk refinery in Western Siberia (OGJ Online, Mar. 20, 2020).

With precommissioning testing initiated in late January and still under way, the new diesel hydrotreating and dewaxing plant, once online, will process 2.5 million tpy of crude to increase the refinery’s current production of environmentally friendly Euro 5-quality diesel by one third, enabling Gazpromneft-ONPZ to decommission two outdated plants to help further reduce overall emissions from processing activities at the site, Gazprom Neft said.

At a total cost of 17.5 billion rubles and equipped with unspecified technology to improve low-temperature properties of its finished product, the soon-to-be-commissioned diesel production plant will yield diesel that will be able to operate efficiently at temperatures as low as -40° C. Advanced digital control systems included at the plant also will provide Gazpromneft-ONPZ flexibility to adjust proportional output of summer or winter diesel grades without interrupting operations based on seasonal and market demand, according to the operator.

While Gazprom Neft did not disclose a definitive timeframe for when it anticipates official startup of the new plant, the company did confirm Gazpromneft-ONPZ is nearing the test-run phase to produce a trial diesel batch ahead of fully commissioning the companion units.

The diesel hydrotreating and dewaxing plant—which reached mechanical completion in late third-quarter 2021—is one of nine projects Gazpromneft-ONPZ has undertaken as part of its compliance with the Russian federal government’s master plan for its Clean Air and Ecology projects adopted under a decree from President Vladimir Putin in May 2018 (OGJ Online, Apr. 12, 2021; June 18, 2020; Feb. 19, 2020).