During his visit to the Kirishinefteorgsintez production association, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was shown the plan for the construction of a diesel fuel hydrotreater and its operator station. The unit is presently undergoing hydraulic and pneumatic tests, along with the testing of up-to-date foreign equipment.
The hydrotreater, which will start operating in the fourth quarter of this year, will annually produce up to 1.5 million tons of Euro-5 standard diesel fuel, which contains 50 times less sulfur than Euro-3 standard fuel, thereby lessening environmental hazards and engine wear.
Kinef is a pivotal enterprise in the town of Kirishi in the Leningrad Region. The plant provides some 40 percent of the region's budget revenue and employs over 6,500 people.
From 2005 to 2010, the enterprise's processing units were considerably upgraded and outdated equipment replaced. The next modernisation stage includes the construction of a deep conversion plant, which will allow to completely abandon the production of diesel fuel with a sulfur content of 0.2% and to switch to manufacturing Euro-5, Euro-4, Euro-3 and Euro-2 standard fuel.