The fire-resistant synthetic turbine oils consumed in Russia are mostly imported products formulated with trixylenyl phosphate, an anti-wear additive used in high-temperature applications. Acquiring them has become more difficult since the start of the war in Ukraine, so a local independent additive maker is developing cheaper analogues that it claims are safer.

Luberef has contracted to increase the amount of feedstock supplied to its base oil plant in Yanbu’al Bahr, Saudi Arabia – a change that will boost base oil output by nearly 100,000 metric tons per year, the company announced recently. On May 29 the company said it would raise the amount of feedstock supplied to the plant from 45,000 barrels per day to 50,000 b/d.

BASF is gradually adding alkoxylation capacity – in part to produce chemicals with uses in lubricants – at its plants in Belgium and Germany starting in the second quarter. The investment will ultimately increase capacity by more than 150,000 metric tons per year and will benefit European customers in particular, the company said last week.