The turnaround will consist of maintenance works, inspections and verifications of facilities as well as modernization investments for a series of the main units of the refinery. Verifications target 3,720 pipelines and 9,300 pieces of electronic and automation equipment.
Following completion of the modernization works planned for this year, the mean time between turnarounds will increase to four years, with the next turnaround scheduled for 2022. Before 2014, turnarounds of this type were performed annually and, after the finalization of Petrobrazi modernization program, the mean time between turnarounds was extended to two years.
“We have been planning this turnaround for two years. We want to reassure you that, although the refinery will be shut down for six weeks, we have taken measures to ensure that this will not impact the fuel distribution network. What’s more, tens of thousands of interventions are planned for the turnaround. The upcoming maintenance and modernization works give us the confidence that the refinery will function safely for the next four years and the environmental impact will be further reduced. Also, we estimate that the Petrobrazi turnaround will be beneficial to the local economy, as approximately 80% of the involved companies are local”, said Neil Anthony Morgan, member of OMV Petrom Executive Board, responsible for Downstream Oil.
The budget for this project exceeds EUR45 million, adding to the over EUR1.5 billion already invested in the modernization of Petrobrazi between 2005 and 2017.
The turnover will require 5,000 workers, 4,000 more than during normal operation, eight main contractors and 33 subcontractors, 80% of them Romanian companies.
Petrobrazi refinery, with an annual refining capacity of 4.5 million tons of crude oil, is one of the most important units of this profile in the country. The Petrobrazi output can cover the necessary fuel for 3 million cars per year.