Ukhta Oil Refinery: overview, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Ukhta oil refinery was founded in 1934. The start of the enterprise's activity began with a three-cube distillation plant of continuous operation. The first products were received in March, and the final debugging of production and technological processes was completed on August 20 of the same year, this day is considered the birthday of UNPZ.

Foundation

The Ukhta Oil Refinery until the mid-50s was a manufacturing enterprise of the GULAG penitentiary system. The gloomy circumstance, as in many other cases, was the start for the intensive development of the plant and the city.

The leadership of the camp had the opportunity to send workers with appropriate qualifications and experience to work. A significant role in the introduction of innovations in technological processes was made by repressed scientists who ended up serving time at the plant. The city of Ukhta was formed by exiles and settlers, they contributed to the development of the economy, industry and culture of the region.

Development

From the beginning of the 60s to the end of the 80s, the Ukhta Refinery experienced a period of intensive growth andindustrialization. The recently discovered deposits - Usinsk, Voyvozh, etc. - were put into development. The incoming raw materials required processing, but the technical equipment lagged behind the pace of production. According to the recollections of the old residents of the UNPZ, they often had to spend 24 hours a day at their workplace.

To master the increased supply of raw materials, the enterprise's capacities have been significantly expanded, a bitumen plant, tank farms, a gasoline reformer have been installed, railway overpasses have been built for loading oil products and much more. In the early 80s, the plant's capacity was more than 6 million tons of finished products per year.

A program was developed and launched to re-equip the technical base, it provided for large-scale changes over the course of several years. It was not possible to implement the entire plan, with the collapse of the USSR, the plant practically ceased economic activity.

Modernization

The history of the formation and operation of the Ukhta Oil Refinery knows several periods of modernization. It was first successfully carried out in the mid-80s. The next wave of technical re-equipment and renewal of production facilities took place in the late 90s. In 1999, Lukoil acquired the Ukhta plant, forming the enterprise OAO Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka.

In 2000, investments in the Ukhta Oil Refinery amounted to more than 600 million rubles. Investments made it possible to repair workshops, build the missing production complexes and facilities, and upgrade the technical base. Through innovation,the loss of oil products has been significantly reduced, the environmental protection system has improved, many work processes have been mechanized or automated, eliminating manual labor.

The comprehensive renovation program of Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka in Ukhta identified the following priority areas for modernization:

• Increasing the depth of processing of raw materials (oil).
• Production of products in accordance with the European quality standard.
• Carrying out a set of measures to ensure environmental safety.

Main upgrade milestones

By 2001, the technical renovation of the oldest facility of the Ukhta Refinery was fully implemented - the AT-1 unit was modernized without interrupting production cycles, capital investments amounted to more than 300 million rubles. After the upgrade, its capacity increased to 3 million tons of oil per year, the depth of crude oil refining increased by 10%.

The implementation of the refinery development program in Ukhta made it possible to build Russia's first complex for processing high-paraffin oils produced in the Timan-Pechora province, which made it possible to master the production of diesel jet fuel (jet fuel). In 2003 the company started production of Euro-4, Euro-5 diesel fuel. This became possible due to the commissioning of a domestically produced GDS-80 unit.

By 2007, the Ukhta Oil Refinery was operating a new railway overpass complex for unloading dark oil products, which increased the shipment of the finished product to 4million tons per year. Also, the newest visbreaking unit, designed for deep oil refining, was put into operation. Its capacity is up to 800 thousand tons per year. In 2009, an isomerization unit was launched, which made it possible to launch the production of Euro-4 gasoline.

Products

At the moment, the planned capacity of the UNPZ is more than 5.8 million tons of products per year. About 4 million tons of oil are processed at the plant, on average 1 million tons of diesel fuel and over 500 thousand tons of gasoline of several grades are produced per year. According to the world classification, the plant belongs to the category of technologically simple (Nelson index - 3, 7). Since 2005, the company has been using the ISO 9001 international quality management system.

Products of the Ukhta Oil Refinery:

• Automotive gasolines of several grades.
• Fuel for ships.
• Jet (aviation) fuel.
• Heating and diesel fuel.
• Technological gasoline.
• Fuel oil and bitumen.

Geography of supplies covers the north-western regions of Russia, near and far abroad.

Social guarantees

Relations between management and employees are governed by a collective agreement and a social responsibility code adopted by the parent company and implemented at the Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka plant. The Ukhta Oil Refinery is one of the city-forming industrial giants, which requires the enterprise to carry out a complexsocial programs, which include:

• He alth, he alth and safety
• Support for families and women with children.
• Improvement of workers, their families, creation of conditions for good rest.
• Support for young workers and professionals.
• Targeted assistance to pensioners of the plant.
• Non-state pension program.

The introduction of new technologies requires high qualifications from employees, more than a third of the personnel increase their level of knowledge every year. The plant annually holds a competition of professional skills among workers. The UNPZ has adopted a system of material incentives for employees, which includes not only wages, but also bonuses, one-time material payments, bonuses and much more.

Responsibility

The company invests a share of the profits in the construction of residential real estate on the terms of equity participation of the plant's employees, which allowed many families to improve their living conditions. The UNPZ annual contributions to charitable foundations and its own activities in this direction amount to more than 12 million rubles. Most of the contributions are distributed in cooperation with the administration of the Komi Republic.

Ukhta Oil Refinery also provides support to regional industries by investing in the development of he althcare, sports, culture and education. A significant proportion of assistance is provided to law enforcement agencies to improve the material and technical base, purchase fuels and lubricants,maintenance and overhaul of real estate.

Occupational safety

Creating a safe working environment is one of the most important tasks of the company. As part of this direction of development, the plant conducts regular training of personnel in safety regulations and monitors their implementation. Workers of workshops and other services are provided with overalls, personal protective equipment, the company insures the life and he alth of personnel.

In 2014, the Ukhta Oil Refinery was recognized as the best in the Success and Safety competition. A well-deserved victory went to the organization of working conditions. It was possible to create an adequate working environment based on a risk-based concept, which is based on the requirements of the relevant Federal Law.

Environmental responsibility

The company believes that the preservation of the environment is a prerequisite for successful operations. Modern technologies allow the enterprise to minimize the negative consequences of the production activities of the Ukhta Refinery. Review and monitoring of the state of water (ground, surface), air at the sanitary protection border, reclaimed land, wastewater are regularly carried out in the laboratory. The plant also controls the formation and movement of chemical production waste.

In 2005, the company received certificates of the international standard of industrial safety and ecology. Air monitoring is carried out at 16points located on the border with the nearest residential development. Specialists of the factory laboratory take samples and measure the state of the air twice a week. Mandatory monitoring points are determined by wind direction and speed.

In 2015, due to the economic crisis and the imposed sanctions, there was a threat of closing the UNPZ. Fortunately, management managed to soften the blow and continue operations. To date, Lukoil has not confirmed the information about the closure or sale of the refinery in Ukhta. In 2017, the plant underwent a scheduled overhaul.