OREANDA-NEWS. December 24, 2012. The Ryazan Oil Processing Company (ROPC, part of TNK-BP Group) is completing the construction of a 617 million m3/year hydrogen production plant. The total project investments are USD 47 million. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of 2013.

This project is part of a massive ROPC refinery upgrade program designed to fully implement the Euro 5 fuel standard, and pure hydrogen is critical for producing diesel fuel to meet the world’s most demanding environmental requirements. When the project is completed, ROPC will be able to increase its annual output of Euro 5 diesel fuel up to 1.7 million tons in 2013. It will also improve the entire process chain because the hydrocarbon gas stripped of hydrogen and sulfur compounds will be used as a greener type of utility fuel for refinery operations, helping reduce the plant's environmental footprint.

"The ROPC has been implementing a consistent capacity upgrade program in order to enhance the environmental performance of both the refinery processes and products", says Anatoly Skoromets, General Director, ROPC. "The total ROPC investments will total USD 2.5 billion before 2015, with USD 537 million to be provided for full transition to Euro 5 specifications."