A new facility for production of Group III-quality base oils has been commissioned at the JSC Slavneft-YANOS refinery, part of OAO NGK Slavneft, a joint enterprise between Gazprom Neft PJSC and Rosneft.

The facility, which has a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year, is designed to produce four kinds of high-technology base oils, two of which have not, hitherto, been produced in Russia. The commissioning of this facility will allow the replacement of up to 40 percent of products currently imported for the production of high-performance motor oils on the domestic market.

Construction of the facility commenced in 2015. Total investment in the project stands at RUB5.5 billion. The new facility forms part of the plant’s production chain, with crude for the facility being supplied from the YANOS hydrocracking unit.

Group III base oils are the basis for the production of modern commercial oils, in demand from various sectors, from vehicular transport to major enterprises. The advantages of this product are its high viscosity, low sulphur and nitrogen content, and excellent performance at low temperatures. A promising area for the use of Group III base oils lies in the production of a special fraction used as the basis for drilling muds, a significant proportion of which is currently imported from abroad.

Petr Degtyarev, Director of Gazprom Neft’s Oil Refining Directorate, commented: “The development of the domestic oil refining industry is currently ahead of the curve. We are continually modernising production capacity and implementing ambitious plans that will result in the domestic market being supplied with high-quality Russian-produced petroleum products. Starting production of Group III base oils at the YANOS refinery will not only allow the implementation of a lubricants import substitution programme, but will also give additional impetus to the development of new products in demand from Russian consumers”.

About Yanos refinery

JSC Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez (Slavneft-YANOS), part of OAO NGK Slavneft, a joint enterprise between Gazprom Neft PJSC and Rosneft, is the most important oil refining facility in Northern Russia.

The facility’s total refining volumes stand at approximately 15 million tonnes of oil per year. Its products include motor gasolines and Euro-5 diesel fuels, aviation fuels, and a wide range of oils, paraffin and wax products, aromatic hydrocarbons, LPG and fuel oil (mazut).

YANOS was the first Russian refinery to produce premium Euro-5 gasolines and diesel fuels with sulphur content below 50 ppm (the Euro-4 standard). YANOS transferred to full production of Euro-5 motor fuels (automobile gasolines and diesel fuels) on 1 July 2012.

About Gazprom Neft

Gazprom Neft is a vertically integrated oil company primarily engaged in oil & gas exploration and production (E&P), the sale and distribution of crude oil, and the production and sale of petroleum products.

The company’s proven SPE (PRMS) hydrocarbon reserves exceed 1.2 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), placing it among the world’s 20 largest oil companies.

The company operates in many of Russia’s prominent oil and gas regions including Khanty-Mansiysk (Yugra), Omsk, Orenburg, Tomsk, and Yamalo-Nenets. Gazprom Neft’s major refining facilities are located in Moscow, Omsk, and Yaroslavl, and it also has refineries in Serbia. Apart from its upstream activities in Russia, the company is involved in international E&P, including projects in Iraq and Venezuela.

About Rosneft

Rosneft is the leader of Russia’s petroleum industry and the world’s largest public oil and gas company by liquid hydrocarbon production and reserves. The Company’s core operations are in hydrocarbon exploration and appraisal, production of oil, gas and gas condensate, offshore developments, refining, marketing of oil, gas and oil products inside and outside Russia, and investment activity.

Rosneft’s exploration and production geography spans across all key oil and gas provinces in Russia, namely Western Siberia, Southern and Central Russia, Timano-Pechora, Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The Company also implements projects in Kazakhstan, Algeria, Venezuela, Brazil, Vietnam, the UAE, Canada, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore projects, including in the Arctic, take a special place in Rosneft’s portfolio. Rosneft has joined forces with ExxonMobil, Eni and Statoil to develop Russia’s offshore resources.