Petroperu's Talara Refinery Reaches Final Restart Stage

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Petroperu (Lima, Peru) reported on Friday that it would soon begin the last phase of the restart of its refurbished 95,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) Talara refinery. As part of the gradual restart of the facility, the state-owned company will put in service the fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCC) and the flexicoking unit.

The flexicoking unit transforms heavy feeds into lighter products.

Petroperu's president said the refinery is planned to be fully operational by the second half of this year.

The revamp of the refinery began in 2014 and focused on a 30,000-BBL/d capacity expansion and the installation of units that would produce cleaner fuels. Industrial Info is tracking eight projects that are tied to the refurbishment and modernization of the Talara Refinery. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Petroleum Refining Project Database can click here for a list of detailed project reports.

Peru has seven medium- to small-size refineries to supply the domestic market. The Talara refinery and the 117,000-BBL/d Pampilla refinery are the largest of the refineries.

Supplying the revamped refinery with domestic crude will be among Petroperu's main goals in the short term. As a result, the company is seeking to expand its production capacity.

In an interview with the local newspaper El Peruano earlier this year, Energy Minister Oscar Vera said that the contracts for blocks I, Z-2B, VI, and X will expire by the first quarter of next year. As a result, Petroperu will receive the contracts for these assets, allowing it to have a larger oil production.

Based on the interview shared by El Peruano, these blocks have a combined capacity of 20,000 BBL/d, almost half of the nation's production. Currently, Petruperu is operating Block I, which has a production of about 500 BBL/d, and it is expected to continue operating the field once the current contract ends.

The company also is conducting maintenance at Block 192, formerly operated by Frontera Energy (Toronto, Canada). The block has been offline since February 2020. Nevertheless, Petroperu received the license to operate the field with a strategic partner, and it expects to restart production from the asset by next year.

Peru's oil production has been fluctuating between the 35,000 BBL/d and 45,000 BBL/d since last year. The nation registered volumes above 40,000 BBL/d in March and April as Petrotal has considerably ramped up its output at the Northern Block 95.

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