OREANDA-NEWS. A catalytic cracking and hydrotreating unit and light naphtha isomerisation unit have been put into operation at Gazprom Neft's Moscow refinery . Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow's acting mayor , has visited the new facilities. Commissioning of the new units enabled the refinery to switch to the production of Class-5 fuels, according to Russian motor fuel specifications (Russian equivalent of Euro-5) in 2013, 2,5 years ahead of schedule.

Llight naphtha isomerisation unit have been put into operation at Gazprom Neft's Moscow refinery.

The catalytic cracking and hydrotreating facility has a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum and is designed to produce fuels with an extremely low sulphur content. This is 15 times less than in Class-3 fuels permitted in Russia today and complies with the Euro-5 emission standard. The total cost of construction was RUB 5.7 billion.

The light naphtha isomerisation unit has an annual capacity of 650,000 tonnes and will contribute to an increase in the Moscow refinery's throughput of class-5 Au-95 fuels. The unit produces a high-octane component for fuels with zero sulphur or aromatic and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Blending the isomerised product with other fuel components reduces the aromatic, benzene and olefin content, while increasing the octane rating and reducing the environmental impact. The total cost of construction was RUB 10.9 billion.

The launch of both units marks completion of the first stage of the Moscow refinery modernisation programme aimed at improving the quality of its products. The next stage involves major projects focused on improving the refining yield and increasing production volumes and output of light oil products.

Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprom Neft, said: “Completing the first stage in the Moscow refinery's modernisation plan is a significant achievement for Gazprom Neft. Now all of the company's refining assets have switched to Euro-5 standard fuel production, 2,5 years ahead of regulation requirements. The refinery will supply Moscow and Central Russia with better quality gasoline and diesel which meet European standards. This will contribute to the reduction of harmful emissions and have a positive effect on the environment. The next stage in the modernisation of the Moscow refinery will aim at increasing throughput and supply of high-quality fuels to the Moscow market.”