Mysterious "incident" at a technological installation of the oil company LUKOIL

13.01.2024       

On January 12, a short message appeared on the website of the oil company LUKOIL: "In connection with an incident at the technological installation of LLC "LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez" its work has been temporarily stopped". No comments about what the "incident" occurred, at what technological installation, whether this installation was imported or domestic, and if imported, then from which country - no explanation was given.
LLC «LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez» (Kstovo Oil Refinery) — one of the largest domestic refineries with a capacity of 17 million tons of oil per year. The refinery produces aviation, automobile and other fuels, bitumen for roads and other products.
In November 2022, LUKOIL launched a large complex of secondary processes at the Kstovo site. The launch of the oil residue processing complex in Kstovo was preceded by large catalytic cracking units with a capacity of 2 million tons per year, which LUKOIL launched in 2010 and 2015. There is very little information about which countries purchased complex technological equipment for oil refining. Experts note that “incidents” have happened in Kstovo before, as shown in one of the videos, but what happened in January 2024 is unclear. Here's another "incident" in Kstovo, which occurred in 2023.
According to surveys oil refining is in third place in the fuel and energy complex after the petrochemical and coal industry in terms of foreign equipment, therefore & ;quot;incident" could be related to problems that the oil company had with Western manufacturers of complex technological products.
It is no secret that LUKOIL oil refineries have foreign technologies and equipment. All this needs to be serviced and supported. If Western partners regularly supply spare parts, carry out maintenance and train specialists, then everything develops normally, but if connections are broken, problems may arise.
In 2020, it became known that LUKOIL chose the technology of the American company Lummus Technology for the previously announced new petrochemical plant in Kstovo. In 2020, Lummus Technology announced the conclusion of a contract with LLC В«LUKOIL-NizhegorodnefteorgsintezВ» for the construction of a petrochemical plant in Kstovo, Russia. Lummus' scope of work includes a technology license for a 500,000 tonne per annum polypropylene plant, basic engineering, training and maintenance, and catalyst supply.
В«We are grateful to LUKOIL for expanding our long-term relationship with this new contract, especially as we continue to expand in RussiaВ», stated President of Lummus Technology Leon de Bruyn. In 2022, Lummus Technology entered into a contract with LLC В«LUKOIL PermnefteorgsintezВ» for the construction of a process unit at the LUKOIL refinery in Perm.