Oryx Oil & Gas recently started up a new lube oil blending plant (LOBP) in Togo, West Africa, the contractor involved with the project said this week.

Oryx’s lubricant business focuses on the mining industry but is also working to expand in the marine market and other parts of the industrial lubricant segment.

Located in the free trade zone of the Lomé harbour, the new plant is a grass-roots project.

ABB provided the basic design, detailed engineering, procurement, commissioning and start-up for the plant.

The scope of supply included a 10-ton automatic batch blender with a mass flow metering collector, one drum decanting system, one tanker unloading system with its 8-inch pigged line and the Lubcel control system with a VPN connection for the automatic management of production activities, ABB said.

ABB also supplied the valves, instruments, pumps, filters and pipe fittings, it said.

The new plant was successfully made operational in the summer of 2011 and now runs to Oryx’s complete satisfaction, according to ABB.

The plant has an output capacity of 18,000 tpy and is expected to serve all segments and markets in West Africa, especially the needs of the minerals and mining industry, officials said.