Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) is working tirelessly to become the world's leading energy company. The state-owned company currently processes crude oil to meet internal market demand and export products of high commercial value. Crude fed to the refining circuit comes from western Venezuela (CPG, TJM, Lagotreco) and the east (Mesa 30, Zuata).

Venezuela has the largest certified reserves of heavy and extra heavy crude in the world: 302.2 billion barrels; 279.4 billion at the Hugo Chávez Orinoco Oil Belt.

The goal of the national refining circuit is to increase profitability by conditioning its processing units to refine these crudes, such as the deep conversion project in Anzoátegui state’s Puerto La Cruz Refinery, according to PDVSA’s presentation at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, July 9-13.

PDVSA said that HDH Plus technology will be used for the Deep Conversion process on a commercial scale. This is a 100% Venezuelan catalytic hydrogenation technology, developed since 1984 by PDVSA Intevep. HDH Plus transforms vacuum waste into lighter, higher-quality products such as diesel, naphtha and non-metal gasoil with low sulfur and nitrogen content through hydroconversion.

Deep conversion will maximize the profit margin of refined products both to meet the demand for fuel in the domestic market and produce derivatives for export that are highly competitive in the international oil market, such as gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). It will provide a high economic and environmental benefit, as the residual will be less than 8% of its load, and will start operations by 2019.

PDVSA is focusing its efforts on guaranteeing operational reliability in the Medium Conversion and Deep Conversion units that already exist in the national refining circuit. Amuay refinery has a delayed coking unit (CRAY), and a flexicoking unit (FKAY) -the largest in the world; Cardón refinery has a delayed coking unit, and there are four catalytic cracking units distributed in each one of the refineries in the country. These refineries have in turn planned metallurgical adaptations in their distillation units to process crude from the Hugo Chávez Orinoco Oil Belt in a highly efficient manner.

As Belt crude is used as feedstock for our refineries, lighter crudes such as MESA 30 and Santa Bárbara are freed up to be used as diluent for the diluted crude oil (DCO) from the Belt. The domestic refining circuit also aims to maximize the production of lube base in its refineries through the processing of paraffinic crude from western Venezuela (Lago 5, Tía Juana Medio) to meet internal and international market demand with lubricants of high commercial value.

PDVSA’s subsidiary VASSA (Venezuelan oils and solvents) processes lube base which is feedstock for the Paraguaná Refining Center and the manufacturing of oils for gasoline and diesel engines, and for the industrial sector in general.

Guided by the philosophy of recovering, sustaining and growing from the 2016-2026 Strategic Socialist Plan, PDVSA is focusing on ensuring operational reliability and maintaining the operational capacity of its refining circuit so that production can be maximized for sustained growth and become the world's leading corporation in the processing of heavy crude.

About PDVSA

Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., the state-owned corporation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is responsible for the efficient, profitable, and dependable exploration, production, refining, transport and commerce of hydrocarbons. This company is deeply committed to environmental protection and its main objectives are to foster the harmonic development of the country, to guarantee sovereignty of national resources, to increase endogenous development and to serve and benefit the Venezuelan people, who correspond to their share of the country’s national wealth.