Poland's Plock refinery, eyeing sulphur rules, to install visbreaking unit
2/11/2018 3:27:15 PM
LONDON (Reuters)
- Poland's PKN Orlen is building a clean fuels upgrading unit at its 330,000 barrel bpd Plock refinery this year, as oil companies across Europe prepare for stricter environmental rules on shipping from 2020
- The unit, a visbreaker, helps cut output of sulfur-rich fuel oil in favour of more valuable cleaner products such as distillates
- A spokesman said the company is investing $176 million with completion expected by the end of 2020
- PKN Orlen has said the visbreaker will enable an additional product yield of 1,200 tonnes per day
From 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will slash the amount of sulfur that can be emitted from ships, which is expected to cut demand for fuel oil and has created a serious challenge for refiners
Companies including ExxonMobil and Total have invested in refinery upgrades to produce lower sulfur fuels in advance of the new shipping rules, and also tighter limits worldwide on sulfur in automotive fuels
(Reporting by Libby George; editing by Jason Neely)
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