Rompetrol Rafinare has completed turnaround of Petromidia refinery

Rompetrol Rafinare, a member company of the KMG International Group (Rompetrol), initiated the processes of restarting the production facilities at the Petromidia Navodari refinery, after the timely completion of the maintenance, recertification, and modernization of the units. The installations will enter the production flow in stages, reaching optimal capacity in the shortest possible time.

Thus, the company has successfully completed a new turnaround of the biggest refinery in Romania, as per the agreed schedule, which was sent to all shareholders, at the beginning of the works started on March 8.

“This year’s turnaround was very complex, with multiple upgrade programs designed to support our operational and safety objectives. The most relevant companies in the industry operating in the region were mobilized and, through the efforts of our colleagues from Rompetrol Rafinare and Rominserv, we restart in optimal conditions one of the main pillars of energy stability in Romania”, said Florian Daniel Pop, General Manager of Rompetrol Rafinare.

The works were coordinated by Rominserv, the general contractor of the KMG International Group (Rompetrol), which ensured that all projects, regardless of size and operational importance, were executed by subcontractors, according to the requirements of the beneficiary of the turnaround – Rompetrol Rafinare.

“Rominserv’s specialists were on site every day, for almost two months, and supervised every action taken by the subcontracted companies. There is a laborious work behind that started at the end of the turnaround in 2022. A turnaround involves major efforts and investments, which we have to coordinate according to the schedule imposed by the market context, which needs a functional refinery at high capacity”, added Daniel Brînzoi, General Manager of Rominserv.

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The development projects implemented as part of the turnaround required an investment of around 85 million dollars. Among the most notable are those that concerned the replacement of the reactors in the Diesel Hydrorefining plant, the modernization and change of some components and sub-assemblies in the Hydrogen unit, respectively the Delayed Coking unit. Added to these is the completion of the reconstruction works of the Mild Hydrocracking (MHC) unit.

The works were executed with the support of more than 30 subcontracted companies from Romania and other European countries, with extensive expertise in projects of such scope. Throughout the turnaround, the representatives of these companies had operational and labor protection meetings with specialists from Rompetrol Rafinare and Rominserv, in accordance with the safety and security policies of the KMG International Group.

The turnaround of the Petromidia refinery is a mandatory and necessary measure implemented by Rompetrol Rafinare, with a cycle of 4 years, aimed at ensuring a high degree of safety, both for the technological installations and for the employees on the platform.

The turnaround of Petromidia was successfully completed, despite the unfavorable fiscal context, in which Rompetrol Rafinare, as well as other entities of the KMG International Group, are targeted by surcharges that reduce the companies’ business competitiveness.

However, Rompetrol Rafinare believes in creating a favorable framework for future investments in production capacities, should a potential development of operational assets prove viable.

During the turnaround, from its own stocks and with the support of the trading division of the KMG International Group (Rompetrol), the company ensured the fuel needed on the domestic market and supported the deliveries of petroleum products, according to the commercial contracts in force.

In 2024, Rompetrol Rafinare aims to process about 5 million tons of raw materials, from which to obtain high yields and large volumes of white products – 2.19 million tons of diesel, respectively 1.34 million tons of gasoline.

The relevant shareholders of Rompetrol Rafinare SA are KMG International (54.63% – directly and indirectly) and the Romanian State, through the Ministry of Energy (44.7%).