Vagit Alekperov, President of OAO LUKOIL, and  Nikolai Maksyuta, Head of Volgograd region, participated in the ceremony held in Volgograd today to mark the commissioning of an isomerization unit at OOO LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka. 

The installation will produce a high-octane component of automobile gasolines called izomerizate. Its application will enable the Volgograd refinery to start producing gasoline fully complying with the Euro-3 standard in 2008. 

The capacity of the new unit is 385 thousand tons of raw materials per annum. The operations and catalyst license was obtained from UOP (USA). Design and estimate documentation was elaborated by OAO LUKOIL-Rostovneftekhimprodukt and ZAO Neftekhimproekt (St. Petersburg). ZAO Globalstroy-Engineering acted as a general contractor for construction of the unit.

“Commissioning of the isomerization unit at the Volgograd refinery is yet another step in our large-scale project aimed at reconstructing and upgrading LUKOIL refineries. It is an excellent present for the 50^th anniversary of the enterprise, which is being celebrated at the present time”, Mr. Alekperov said.

In 2006, the Volgograd refinery produced 9.12 million tons of commercial products, with high-octane gasoline output at 544 thousand tons, i.e., 63 % of the total automobile gasoline output.