New Talara Refinery begins production of environmentally friendly fuels

As part of the gradual and progressive start-up process, the New Talara Refinery (NRT) obtained the first samples of low-sulfur gasoline and diesel, for immediate sale, through its sales plants and terminals nationwide.

This was verified by the President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte Zegarra, during the technical visit that she carried out together with the heads of the ministerial portfolios of Energy and Mines; Economy and Finance; Transport and Communications; Foreign Trade and Tourism; Culture; Environment and Development and Social Inclusion, among other national, regional and local authorities.

During the tour, the president visited the Control Room of this modern complex, as well as the processing and auxiliary plants that have been put into operation to start the production of environmentally friendly fuels such as gasoline and diesel, that is, with a maximum of 50 parts per million (ppt) of sulfur.

The President of the Board of Directors of Petroperú, Carlos Vives Suárez, delivered the first sample of low sulfur diesel to the Head of State, which marks one of the milestones of this energy project, considered the most important in the country.

Vives Suárez reported that the production of cleaner fuels has been carried out gradually, hoping to reach 100% between March and April of this year, which will contribute to preserving air quality and the health of Peruvians.

He indicated that up to now the Primary Distillation Unit, the Vacuum Distillation Unit, the Hydrogen Production and Purification Unit, the Nitrogen Plant, the naphtha, cracked naphtha and diesel hydrotreatment plants, as well as the cooling and firefighting, among other process and auxiliary units. In the following weeks, the start-up and warranty tests of the conversion and deep conversion units will continue, hoping to culminate with this secure boot process in the first quarter of this year, as planned.

The start-up process of the NRT is carried out with the participation of experienced personnel from the contractor companies Técnicas Reunidas, in the process units, and from Cobra, in the auxiliary units. Also participating in these activities are the world-class licensing companies Axens, Honeywell UOP, Haldor Topsoe and Exxon Mobil, as well as the international CPT supervision consortium, and the different specialist technicians from the factories that supplied the various equipment that are part of this new refining complex.

As part of these start-up tests, the interconnections and systems required for the commissioning of 7,000 pieces of equipment and 35,000 instruments are carried out, involved in this complex start-up process for the stabilization and use of the NRT. This process is carried out in the same way in other refineries in the world with the same level of complexity.

Built under the highest international standards, the NRT 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. It has 16 process units and five packages of auxiliary units and complementary services, two liquid cargo docks, 21 new storage tanks and a modern accredited laboratory that provides internationally valid results.

During the construction process of the modern refining complex, more than 10,000 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs have been generated; also contributing to the treasury with more than a billion dollars, only in taxes.

Contributions to local development

At the ceremony, Petroperú announced that it will deliver an endowment of up to 2,000 m3 of drinking water per day for the benefit of educational institutions and vulnerable areas that are outside the drinking water distribution network in the Pariñas district. The liquid element will be part of the production of the desalination plant of the NRT and will be specified through an inter-institutional agreement with the Provincial Municipality of Talara.

Likewise, the company delivered a type II urban ambulance to the Talara "Carlos Vivanco Mauricio" Health Center to guarantee the timely and adequate transfer of those patients who require specialized care in other more complex health establishments in the Piura region. In this way, Petroperú -with the contribution of its workers- reaffirms its commitment to the health of the population of the province of Talara.