REFINERIES RUN AT INSUFFICIENT OPERATING CAPACITY

The rate of operating capacity of SOCAR’s Azarneftyagh refinery lags 37 tp 39 per cent behind the corresponding average of oil refineries in Europe and the United States.

Following the announcement, an Azarneftyagh source told Trend that the facility has been loaded by 53 to 55 per cent of its refining capacity, considerably down from the European and U.S. average of 92 per cent.

Since 1999 through 2003, the management of the plant has succeeded in utilizing more idle capacities,thereby increasing the rate of utilization by 17.32 per cent. Running at a higher operating capacity has resulted in the output expansion and quality rise. SOCAR’s other refinery, Azarneftyanacag, currently runs at an operating capacity of 70 per cent [of the designed figure].

The under-utilized capacity is the result of the refinery’s concentration on the initial treatment of crude oil. “Appropriate work is underway to increase the utilized capacity of the plant. However, due to the location of the facility within the boundaries of the city of Baku вЂ" as well as from the safety viewpoint вЂ" the upgrade of the plant is also fraught with limited introduction of advanced technology,” the sourced added.