Refineries to take more of Russia’s crude

LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Up to 10 million to 15 million tonnes of Russian crude per year (200,000-300,000 barrels per day) could be sucked into a few well placed Russian refineries over the next 3-5 years, a senior refining executive said on Tuesday.

As crude production growth flags, that could mean a cut in exports.


Tony Considine, executive vice president for downstream at Russo-British energy company TNK-BP said he thought Russia’s refining industry had now reached its “natural limits”, mostly due to logistical bottlenecks, despite a remaining cushion of old distillation capacity.

Among the upgrades expected in Russia this year, Considine said TNK-BP would bring online a 1.7 million tonne per year diesel hydrotreater at Ryazan refinery which would bring diesel output at the company’s largest refinery to 10 parts per million of sulphur, in line with incoming European emissions standards.

Reuters