MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell has taken the final investment decision (FID) to build a major new unit at the Pernis refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing with reference to the company's announcement.
The Solvent Deasphalter (SDA) unit will remove heavier fractions from crude oil, allowing the refinery to upgrade a larger proportion of its oil intake into lighter, high-grade products.
"This important investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to refining," said Lori Ryerkerk, executive vice president for Shell’s global manufacturing business. "The Pernis refinery plays a key role in the European market and this modern and innovative unit will further improve its performance and competitiveness."
Construction work is planned to start next year, subject to permit approvals, with completion expected by the end of 2018. The new unit will not change the refinery’s total processing capacity, but will allow a different product mix.
Some existing units will require modifications in order to integrate with the new SDA unit.
Shell Pernis is the largest integrated refinery complex in Europe and occupies a strategic location in the Rotterdam industrial region. It has a strong track record of safe and reliable operations, according to Shell officials.
The SDA unit will give the refinery more flexibility to respond to market developments and reduce the environmental footprint of its products. The investment strengthens Shell Pernis’ position as an important contributor to the Dutch economy and as one of the largest employers in the Rotterdam port area, the company explained.
As MRC wrote previously, in April 2015, Royal Dutch Shell completed a revamp and upgrade of its Singapore ethane cracker. The project increased production for the 800,000-tpy ethylene plant on Bukom Island by 20%. The ethylene and olefins unit is also integrated with Shell’s 500,000-bpd refinery.
Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC