Arpechim Refinery Explained

Arpechim Refinery
Altitude:2200NaN0
Building Type:Oil refinery
Location:Pitești, Argeș County
Owner:Petrom
Completion Date:1964
Height:180 metres (chimney)
Floor Area:500ha

Arpechim Refinery was one of the largest Romanian refineries and one of the largest in Europe, located in Pitești, Argeș County, and had both refining and petrochemical capacities.[1] It was closed in 2011.[2] The refinery had two processing modules with a nominal capacity of 6.5 million tonnes/year.[1] The facility was connected by pipeline to the oil fields in the Oltenia Region and to the Port of Constanţa.[1] The refinery produced around 60% of all the bitumen used in Romania.[3]

History

Arpechim was founded in 1964 in a strategic industrial zone located in Southern Romania near Pitești.[4] In the same year the refinery built its first plant specialised in the production of carbon black.[4] In 1967 another two distinct units were established, the Pitești Refinery and the Petrochemical Complex (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Rafinăria Piteşti şi Complexul petrochimic) and the Thermal Power Station (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Termocentrala).[4] In 1971 the refinery was integrated with the Petrochemical Complex. In 1997 the state established Petrom as the national oil company also including the Arpechim Refinery.[4] In 1999 Arpechim becomes the first refinery in Europe to produce and export diesel with a reduced sulfur content.[4] In 2005 the refinery concludes the building of a new gasoil hydrotreater and new hydrogen plant.[4]

In 2007, Petrom started negotiations with Oltchim (a major petrochemical company in Romania) for the sale of the petrochemical sector from the Arpechim Refinery.[5] The two companies agreed on the transaction and Oltchim had to pay around US$ 150 million to close the deal.[5] On February 17, 2009, Petrom decided to sell the petrochemical sector of the Arpechim Refinery to Oltchim for the price of 1 euro (US$ 1.25), but the buying company has to invest US$ 140 million in the sector due to contract clauses.[6]

The Arpechim Refinery closed in 2011. EUR 52m was allocated by OMV in 2022 for remedial work to the soil on the old site.[7]

External links

44.8°N 24.93°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arpechim Refinery . 2009-02-18 . Prime Transaction . Romanian . 2009-02-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090221083128/http://www.primet.ro/capital_sector.php?ID=36 . 21 February 2009 . dead .
  2. https://www.omvpetrom.com/en/news/ad-hoc-report-petrom-took-the-decision-to-permanently-close-the-arpechim-refinery Petrom took the decision to permanently close the Arpechim refinery
  3. Web site: Arpechim, la capacitate maxima. 2007-05-31. Evenimentul ZIlei. Romanian. 2009-02-18.
  4. Web site: Petrom is the Largest Romanian Refiner. 2009-02-18. Petrom. 2009-02-18.
  5. Web site: 100 mil. euro pentru rafinaria Arpechim. 2009-01-06. Financiarul. Romanian. 2009-02-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20090309233849/http://www.financiarul.com/articol_19446/100-mil.-euro-pentru-rafinaria-arpechim-.html. 9 March 2009. dead.
  6. Web site: Petrom vrea sa vanda petrochimia pe 1 euro. 2009-02-17. Financiarul. Romanian. 2009-02-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20090220093639/http://www.financiarul.com/articol_22069/petrom-vrea-sa-vanda-petrochimia-pe-1-euro.html. 20 February 2009. dead.
  7. Web site: Annual Report 2022 . 31 December 2022.