MOSCOW (MRC) -– ExxonMobil Basestocks has announced the commercial readiness of its EHC 50 and EHC 120 base stocks, following the on-time completion of the Rotterdam refinery expansion project, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The Rotterdam refinery is the first world-scale producer of Group II base stocks in Europe, making ExxonMobil the only Group I and II base stocks producer with significant manufacturing assets in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
"By continuously growing our manufacturing network, we are strengthening our global supply capability, and providing customers with an efficient and robust product offer," said Nick Berthiaux, Vice President, Basestocks & Specialties. "Seeing the first shipment of our EHC base stocks gives us all great satisfaction, and reaffirms that our offer is unique, differentiated and valued by the market we serve."
Start up of EHC production at the Rotterdam refinery has begun following the completion of the USD1 billion hydrocracker expansion project in the fourth quarter of 2018. The project also increases the production of ultra-low sulfur diesel and improves the refinery’s energy efficiency by five percent.
Base stocks storage capacity at the Rotterdam refinery was increased with the expansion, helping ensure improved supply reliability, and ExxonMobil’s expanded collaboration with additive companies provides maximum product coverage. ExxonMobil’s EHC base stocks slate helps enable cost-effective blending of the majority of lubricant applications in the automotive, heavy-duty and industrial sectors. As a result of the expanded collaboration, a number of market-general formulations for EHC grades are available now from the main additive suppliers.
"Our goal is to provide customers with a reliable Group I and Group II offer alongside the highest standards in customer service and product integrity," said Ted Walko, Global Basestocks & Specialties Marketing Manager at ExxonMobil. "The successful completion of this expansion is the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration, and while this signals the end of the project, it is only the beginning for Group II production in Europe."
Following the September announcement of an additional hub terminal for vessel and truck loading in Valencia, Spain, now fully operational, ExxonMobil Basestocks will continue to expand its Group II supply capabilities with a hub terminal in Hamburg, Germany, scheduled for late summer of 2019.
As MRC informed before, in October 2017, ExxonMobil Chemical Company commenced production on the first of two new 650,000 tons-per-year high-performance polyethylene (PE) lines at its plastics plant in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The full project, part of the company’s multi-billion dollar expansion project in the Baytown area and ExxonMobil’s broader Growing the Gulf expansion initiative, will increase the plant’s PE capacity by approximately 1.3 million tons per year.
ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC