(Ecopetrol, 30.Apr.2020) — The fourth link in Ecopetrol’s value chain is the refining and petrochemical activity, which originates from the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries. It is there where the crude oil originating from the fields is transformed into value-added products, which contributes towards job creation and revitalizes regional economies.
Barrancabermeja Refinery
During 2020, $181mn were invested in reliability initiatives and projects ($100mn), environmental legal compliance ($58mn), fuel quality ($12mn) and HSE ($11mn).
Within the execution of the year 2020, the following projects stand out:
- Reliability for $100mn: Major maintenance in Topping U250, HCM, industrial services, tanks, alkylation, SG2961, HDT Prime D, environmental train, orthoflow, HDT Prime G, sulfur IV, paraffins, major equipment units , sour water rotors; as well as the FGC System projects and UOPI funds circuit, module 2 tank truck filling station, COR consolidation, industrial services systems, UOP II availability and equipment replacements to ensure reliability in the stations of the distributed control system of orthoflow, aromatics, funds and acid, replacement of equipment in units U250, alkylation, ethylene II, UOP I, Static Eeuipo 2018 and riser R-2701 UOP I.
- Environmental Legal Compliance for $58mn: New WWTP wastewater treatment plant, rehabilitation and renovation of GRB collector systems, improvement of spent soda treatment, domestic wastewater – ARD and control of SOX emissions from GRB sulfur plants.
- Fuel quality for $12mn: Medium enrichment with IV sulfur oxygen, 50 ppm regular motor gasoline, technological improvement of the HCM-Phase I plant, purchase of laboratory equipment, baseline to ensure regulatory compliance on fuel quality, diesel and GMR 10 ppm sulfur, expansion of the processing capacity of the Moderate Hydrocracking unit HCM U2650, Marpol Stage 1 and increased availability, safety and reliability of the hydrogen network in the GRB.
- Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) for $11mn: GRB firefighting system, river bank containment, new GRB laboratory, replacement of mobile emergency response equipment and closed drainage system of the aromatics plant.
Cartagena refinery
The Cartagena refinery invested $130mn in 2020 related to growth and profitability projects, reliability initiatives ($46mn), reliability initiatives ($66mn), regulatory legal compliance ($17mn) and HSE ($1mn).
The project for the Interconnection of the Cartagena Crude Plants – IPCC is in execution with the date of entry into operation in the second quarter of 2022.
Within the execution of the year 2020, the following main projects stand out to guarantee:
- Growth and Profitability for $46mn: Interconnection of crude plants, shipment of HCO to U-110, production of gas oils in cracking and HCU, stabilization of the VRU operation (DCU), pre-filtration of U-108 load and advanced control of U-110.
- Reliability for $66mn: Major Maintenance (MM) Turbines, Major Maintenance Cracking U-002, MM Alkylation U-044, MM hydrogen reformer U-116; MM of compressors, load lifting facilities, MM of boilers, tank maintenance, workshop modernization, MM of civil works, installation of train shutters, replacement of the F1 lighting system, MM U-123, original USI substation upgrade, optimization dry seals C-001 and MM U-107.
- Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) for $17mn: Boiler feed water system, integral LPG management, replacement of the FL-T-602 tower.
- Regulatory Legal Compliance for $1mn: PRTLGV Cartagena refinery, purchase of laboratory equipment, management of inventories-movements-balances and U-108 / U-109 rich amine interconnection.
- The following graph shows the consolidated investments of the last five years. For the Cartagena refinery, the Investments for Operational Continuity (ICO) are presented.
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Editor’s Note: All figures are in US dollars.
