Ceska rafinerska completed the shutdown at its Kralupy refinery and resumed crude oil processing. The refinery was in shutdown due to an extraordinary event at the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit which occurred on May 17, 2016. The Kralupy refinery achieved full standard processing capacity.
While repairing the FCC unit we replaced the damaged parts of the unit and checked the state of relating production facilities. Total damage to technologies was estimated at CZK 0.4 billion. „We managed to make use of the unplanned shutdown for the additional maintenance and performed turnaround works that were foreseen to take place in 2017,” said Ceska Rafinerska’s CEO Krzysztof Zdziarski. Another major shutdown of operation should thus not occur until 2018.
The extraordinary event was caused by hydrocarbons flare-up which resulted in loosening the heater and damaging the FCC unit’s equipment. Unipetrol holds an insurance policy both against property damage as well as against the relating business interruption. Unipetrol is liaising with the insurer and provides all cooperation for the proper assessment of the loss caused by extraordinary event.
About Kralupy refinery
Since 2001 the Kralupy refinery has been a complex refinery with a state-of-the-art fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, through which the original hydro skimming refinery with a capacity of 3.3 million tons of crude oil a year was further developed. The existence of the MTBE unit provides the possibility to produce high-octane lead-free petrol, while the equipment installed under the “Clean Fuels” program allows the production of low-sulphur and sulphur-free fuels. The Kralupy refinery produces the JET A1 aviation fuel used at Prague international airport.
UNIPETROL, a.s. controls companies, which are active in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005, UNIPETROL became part of PKN ORLEN Group, the largest processor of crude oil in Central Europe. UNIPETROL Group is mainly focused on processing of crude oil, distribution of fuels and petrochemical production. In all of these areas, UNIPETROL Group is an important player in the Czech Republic and also on the market in Central Europe. In the Czech Republic, the group is one of the most important companies with regards to turnover and employs almost 4,500 people.
Contact:
Mikuláš Duda
Press Department Manager, UNIPETROL, a.s.
Phone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520
E-mail: mikulas.duda@unipetrol.cz