SOCAR refinery in Turkey increases capacity

SOCAR Turkiye, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), has increased the capacity of its oil refinery in Turkey on the Aliaga Peninsula and brought it to 11 million tons of oil per year, Director-General of SOCAR Turkiye Zaur Gahramanov said at a meeting with Azerbaijani journalists at the company’s headquarters in Istanbul, Report informs.

SOCAR Turkiye Aegean Refinery (STAR) used to refine 10 million tons of oil per year.

According to Gahramanov, the capacity of the enterprise has been increased due to the internal reserves of the company.

STAR was the only company in Turkey to be severely affected by the pandemic. Gahramanov noted that lost profits are mainly the case: “However, given the high diversification of the company’s portfolio, this influence has been balanced.”

On October 19, 2018, the opening ceremony of the STAR refinery took place in Izmir. The foundations of the plant were laid on October 5, 2011. STAR holds the first strategic investment promotion document in Turkey.

The enterprise is capable of processing such oil grades as Urals, Azeri Light and Kirkuk. The plant is capable of producing 1.6 million tons of naphtha, 4.8 million tons of diesel, as well as aviation fuel, LPG, petroleum coke, mixed xylene.