MOL has completed construction work at the AV3 unit of the Danube refinery which was damaged by a fire in October last year, the company said.
"Once the construction equipment has been removed, the gradual restart of production can begin. Following the commissioning and testing of the AV3 unit, MOL's Szazhalombatta refinery will once again be able to operate at full capacity, further strengthening the security of fuel supply for Hungary and the entire region. The repair budget totaled HUF 18 billion [around EUR 50 million]," MOL said in a statement.
In the near future, specialists will carry out the flushing of systems, pressure testing and functional testing of process control and safety equipment, and will connect auxiliary power sources and also ensure coordination of the operation of the AV3 unit with other facilities of the Danube refinery. It is expected that the production of petroleum products will resume in stages in October.
MOL carried out a comprehensive restoration over the past year - it dismantled and reassembled the damaged reinforced concrete structure and restored the damaged equipment, control and power supply systems. A total of 27 new pumps were installed, 8 km of pipelines were replaced and 100 km of electrical cables were laid.
The refinery in Szazhalombatta is one of MOL's main facilities. It is the largest refinery in Hungary and one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. Its capacity is 165,000 barrels per day (8.1 million tonnes per year). The plant processed Russian oil supplied via the Druzhba pipeline.
