Russian oil companies plan to invest around 1 trillion rubles in oil refinery modernization in 2011-2015, the Energy Ministry said in a statement.

The Energy Ministry recently sent a report to the government on the modernization of existing and the launch of new secondary oil refining facilities in March 2012.

Six facilities (one new and five reconstructed) were launched last year. For this year, there are plans to build and reconstruct 20 secondary oil refining facilities (ten new and ten reconstructed). Next year, 20 units will be launched (16 new and four reconstructed), in 2014 - 25 units (23 new and two reconstructed), in 2015 - 17 facilities (17 new and four reconstructed), and in 2016-2020 - 36 new units.

Of the total number of secondary refining units planned for launch in 2012, there will be built two isomerization units, one alkylation unit, three catalytic cracking gasoline hydrotreatment units, one hydrocracking unit and three diesel fuel treatment units. Two units have already been commissioned: a catalytic cracking gasoline hydrotreatment unit at the oil refinery OJSC Slavneft-YaNOS (RTS: JNOS), which has a capacity of 870,000 tonnes per year; and a diesel fuel hydrotreatment unit at the Kirishi Oil Refinery (OJSC Surgutneftegas (RTS: SNGS)), with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per year.

In the second quarter of this year, a complex of diesel fuel and catalytic cracking gasoline hydrotreatment units is expected to be commissioned at the Omsk Oil Refinery (Gazprom Neft (RTS: SIBN)), with capacities of 3 million tonnes and 1.2 million tonnes per year, respectively. In the third quarter, according to Bashneft's (RTS: BANE) plan, an alkylation unit will be brought online at the Novoufim Oil Refinery. According to project data, construction and installation work has already been 45% fulfilled.

In parallel with the construction of these new units this year, there are plans to finish up reconstructing three catalytic reforming units, one hydrocracking unit, five diesel fuel hydrotreatment units and one catalytic cracking unit. Two facilities have already been completed: a catalytic reforming unit at the Angarsk Petrochemical Complex and the first phase of a catalytic cracking unit at the Omsk Oil Refinery. Work is also underway on two other units: a diesel fuel hydrotreatment unit at the Saratov Oil Refinery (precommissioning work is already 90% done) and a catalytic reforming unit at the Komsomolsk Oil Refinery (precommissioning work - 25%).

Last year, Rosneft (RTS: ROSN) reconstructed five secondary oil refining units: a hydrocracking unit and diesel fuel hydrotreatment unit at the Kuybyshev Oil Refinery, as well as three catalytic reforming units at the Kuybyshev, Syzran and Komsomolsk Oil Refineries. In addition, an isomerization unit was commissioned at the OJSC Slavneft-YaNOS Oil Refinery, with a capacity of 718,000 tonnes a year.

In 2008-2010, 177 billion rubles were invested in oil refinery modernization. During that period, six new units for producing high-quality motor fuels were built and ten existing ones were reconstructed at vertically integrated oil companies' refineries.

Eb

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(Originally published April 20, 2012, in Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire.)