Rompetrol Rafinare, Increasing Results in the Jet Fuel Segment
Rompetrol Rafinare, a member company of KMG International, has continued to constantly increase its production of Jet A1 – the special fuel for civil and military aviation. In the last 12 years, the volumes realized and delivered in Romania and in the region have tripled, from 95 thousand tons in 2007, to 317 thousand tons, last year.
“The efficiency and optimization of the production generated by the reliable installations, together with the expertise of our specialists, have assured us a significant growth, from year to year. The trend was supported by investments and the impact of programs aimed at modernizing and increasing the annual capacity of the Petromidia refinery. Its capacity and flexibility give us growth prospects, of about 60 thousand tons in the medium term, depending on the implementation of projects designed to streamline operational processes,” said Yedil Utekov, General Manager of Rompetrol Rafinare.
For 2019, the company initially proposed an increase of over 20% of volumes, but based on the results obtained in the first nine months of the year, it will surpass the level of 390 thousand tons. The expected quantity for 2019 could fuel a non-stop flight of more than 6,300 days (over 17 years) of a Boeing 737 aircraft, the most widespread aircraft in the world, with an average consumption of approximately 75,000 l/day.
Between January and September, Petromidia produced 312 thousand tons of fuel, close to the level reached in the whole year of 2018.
The volume of Jet A1 obtained last year represented a historical record, one of the 11 reached in 2018 by the refinery, and the maximization of Jet fuel production is supported by the increased demand from the local market, but also by the flexibility of the refinery, which can increase the Jet A1 volumes at any time.
After the implementation of the investment package of 450 million dollars in the period 2008-2012, the volumes have increased steadily, and in 2015 was exceeded for the first time the 200 kt (220 kt) threshold. Gradually, through optimizations and recipes adapted to the needs of the market, the jet production has recorded an upward trend (in 2018, three times the level of 2007), given that the increase of the flow throughout the refinery has been 57% in the last 10 years.
Of the total quantities, over 80% are delivered to operators and suppliers of A1 jet for airports in Romania, and the rest for export to countries such as Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan. Thus, the fuel produced at Petromidia is mainly delivered to the Black Sea region, where Rompetrol Rafinare enjoys a high degree of confidence.
Producer of special aviation fuel since 1984, Petromidia is the largest refinery in Romania and one of the most modern in the Black Sea region. Recently, the refinery in Navodari has reached a level of complexity of 11.4, according to a study carried out by the most important rating agency in the field and is at the top places in Europe in terms of utilization rate (90%), mechanical availability (97%) and the yield of white products obtained (85.3%).
In addition to the aviation fuel segment, Petromidia produces high quality car fuels, according to Euro5 standards, as of 2006, three years before the European Union regulations came into force. Rompetrol Rafinare is constantly investing in the modernization and optimization of its facilities, and since 2007 (the year of taking over Rompetrol by KazMunayGas – the national oil and gas company of Kazakhstan) and to date, total investments have amounted to around one billion dollars.
Along with the refining segment, Rompetrol Rafinare operates the only Petrochemicals division in Romania, capable of producing polymers needed for more than half of the domestic consumption of petrochemicals. At the same time, the company also owns the Vega Ploiesti refinery, the oldest processing unit for petroleum products in Romania and the only national producer of bitumen and hexane.
Source: Rompetrol Rafinare press release
