International experts in hydrocarbons toured the facilities of the New Talara Refinery

A delegation of hydrocarbon experts from public and private companies that are part of the Association of Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy Companies of Latin America and the Caribbean - ARPEL, concluded their visit to the country with a guided tour of the facilities of the New Talara Refinery, in the Piura region.

The delegation, led by ARPEL's Downstream Manager, Ricardo Buyatti, was made up of the leaders of the oil companies Ecopetrol (Colombia), Ancap (Uruguay), Petroecuador (Ecuador), Axion Energy (Argentina) and Cupet (Cuba), who were received by the vice president of Petroperú, Carlos Vives; the general manager, Cristina Fung and the manager of the Talara Refinery, Óscar Vera.

The visit began with a technical presentation on the execution of this megaproject, as well as the start-up process that began in April of this year and is still under way, with a view to the commissioning and start of commercial operation of the New Talara refinery. Subsequently, they took a guided tour, following the security protocols, in which the visitors were able to see the Control Room and the Flexicoking Unit, among other industrial facilities.

After the visit to the modern refining complex in Petroperú, the specialists highlighted the importance of this project that will allow the production of fuels with a very low level of sulfur, which will bring benefits for the environment and people's health, through refining of heavy and light crude oil from Peru and other parts of the world.

The Vice President of Refining and Industrial Processes of Ecopetrol, Walter Fabián Cánova, highlighted the progress of the start-up process of the New Talara Refinery, which has been carried out gradually and progressively, following high safety standards and led by start-up experts from other complexes. deep conversion refinery such as the Cartagena Refinery in Colombia.

The start-up process is carried out with the participation of experienced personnel from the Técnicas Reunidas contractor companies, in the process units, and Cobra, in the auxiliary units. Also participating in these activities are the licensing companies Honeywell, Axens, UOP, Haldor Topsoe and Exxon Mobil, as well as the international supervision consortium CPT and the different specialist technicians from the factories that supplied the various pieces of equipment that form part of this new complex of refine. It should be noted that one of the challenges during the execution of the project has been technological integration, with the participation of 150 subcontractors of 72 nationalities.

As part of this process, the Primary Distillation Unit, the Vacuum Distillation Unit and the Hydrogen Production and Purification Unit have been started up, among other process and auxiliary units. To date, the same is being done with the hydrotreatment units to later continue with the conversion and deep conversion units. With this, the company will once again be an important refiner in the country, replacing the imports it currently carries out. Likewise, it will be able to offer better commercial conditions and substantially improve its profitability and liquidity.

Built under the highest international standards, the New Talara Refinery is considered one of the most modern refineries in Latin America with a capacity to process up to 95,000 barrels of oil per day. A fundamental element is that, in addition, the production of gasoline and diesel will have a maximum content of 50 parts per million of sulfur, which translates into an environmentally friendly production.

The refining complex has 16 process units and five packages of auxiliary units and complementary services, two liquid loading docks and 21 new storage tanks, which positions it as one of the most important deep conversion refineries in Latin America.

ARPEL Conference

The delegation’s visit took place after the 6th edition of the ARPEL Conference, which took place in Lima from November 14 to 16, and in which specialists from Petroperú and other international companies shared experiences and knowledge about the opportunities that it has in Latin America to continue advancing as a reliable and global provider of energy.

ARPEL is a non-profit association that involves oil, gas and renewable energy companies and institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was founded in 1965 and, currently, its partners operate in more than 30 countries in the region and include national and international operating companies, providers of technology, goods and services for the value chain, as well as national and international institutions in the sector.