As Im writing this, weve just received word of ExxonMobils agreement to sell its refinery in Augusta, Italy, which includes a 730,000 metric-tons-per-year API Group I base oil plant. Sonatrach, Algerias national oil company, will take the reins by the end of the year.
ExxonMobil said it placed a dedicated transition team to ensure continuity of the Augusta facilitys operations and will continue marketing base stocks and waxes from Augusta at current specifications without affecting existing contracts. The acquisition brings Sonatrachs total number of refineries to six; the company operates five refineries in Northern Africa, including a 180,000 t/y Group I base oil plant at its subsidiary Naftecs Arzew, Algeria, facility.
The best way to stay on top of plant expansions, upgrades or ownership changes in the base oil market is with the latest edition of LubesnGreases Global Guide to Base Oil Refining. The 2018 edition, which lists mineral base oil refiners and rerefiners worldwide, is bundled with this months issue for print subscribers and will be mailed to digital subscribers in the United States and Canada. Additional copies can be ordered at www.BaseStockGuides.com.
More than 160 base oil plants are organized by company name, location and production capacity in the 2018 Guide. As of early May, global base oil capacity topped 1.1 million barrels per day-40 percent API Group I, 36 percent Group II, 14 percent Group III and 10 percent naphthenic. And more is on the way, with over 85,000 b/d scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2021.
Managing editor Michele Persaud diligently vetted and organized data from various industry sources with the help of our editorial team. Thanks to their painstaking attention to detail and accuracy, our readers have access to the latest developments in base oils, at a glance.
Howard Briskin
HBriskin@LubesnGreases.com