BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 5. The STAR oil refinery, operated by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in Türkiye, has been shut down for scheduled maintenance to carry out the first revamp of all equipment at the facility, Trend reports via the company.
"During the maintenance, the physical condition of all refinery equipment will be inspected. The work is expected to last about two months and is in accordance with legal obligations.
The primary goal of this significant event is to enhance the facility's efficiency and extend its uninterrupted operational period (time between maintenance shutdowns) from four to five years," the company statement said.
As of 2024, the STAR refinery satisfies approximately 19.5 percent of Türkiye's demand for petroleum products.
The planned shutdown and equipment upgrades are expected to increase the refinery's production capacity by 2.5 percent.
"All activities during the shutdown have been meticulously planned in collaboration with expert teams and international consultants.
SOCAR Türkiye’s refinery and petrochemical division employees have undergone comprehensive training in occupational health and safety for participation in the planned shutdown process," the statement also said.
Upon completion of the planned downtime, the refinery aims to achieve a total operational time of 3.2 million person-hours.
"The scheduled shutdown will enhance the company’s operational efficiency, introduce advanced technological improvements, and achieve long-term sustainable growth goals through increased investments," the statement noted.
The STAR refinery is linked to the Petkim petrochemical holding, which receives all the crude oil (feedstock for the petrochemical industry).
The refinery has been operating since October 2018 and has a capacity to process up to 13 million tons of oil.
Investments in its construction near Izmir amounted to nearly $7 billion.
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