Project Profile
Value: US$124 million
Location: Gorlice, southern Poland
Products: Synthetic fuels
Feedstock: Coal, natural gas and biomass
Capacity: 3,400 barrels a day
Establishment: 1885
Glimar is a refinery located in Gorlice, Southern Poland (approximately 360 km South of Warsaw, close to the Slovakian border). It is one of the oldest refineries in the world, having been established in 1885 following the discovery of oil in the region surrounding Gorlice. This facility is capable of producing 3,400 barrels a day. In July 2011 Lurgi GmbH (a subsidiary of Air Liquide SA) had completed the installation of the hydrocracking facility at the refinery. The facility is also equipped with isocracking, isodewaxing and hydrofinishing units licensed from Chevron Lummus Global and zeoforming technology.
In order to maintain its competitive position, the refinery initiated hydro-refining processes by installing a new facility , the hydro-complex, built by Lurgi GmbH in 2000 with technology licensed from Chevron Lummus. This makes Glimar one of the more modern small to mid-size refineries in Europe. This modernization required an investment of US$124 million. In addition to technological changes made at Glimar, the 1990s also saw a major organizational shift for the refinery. In 1997 Glimar was fully privatized and restructured. Non-core services such as security and railway coordination were outsourced, in some cases to newly formed companies. The refinery also diversified its business, expanding into bio-ethanol production, a small chain of gas stations and also the renovation of an existing hotel/conference centre asset.
Despite these new directions, Glimar suffered during the economic downturn of the early 2000s and in 2005, by virtue of a decision of the Minister of Economy, the Glimar S.A. Oil Refinery, together with two other southern refineries were acquired by Grupa Lotos S.A. Lotos later divested itself of the Glimar refinery, which was purchased by Hydronaft. In 2011 Hudson Oil Corporation Ltd. acquired Hydronaft and the Glimar refinery. Hudson are in the process of restarting production at Glimar and developing strategic options for the hydro-processing complex of the refining, which can be used to produce higher quality end products or converted to produce synthetic fuels from feedstocks such as coal, natural gas and biomass.
Operator:
Hudson Oil Corp. Ltd.
Contractors:
Lurgi GmbH: Installation of the hydrocracking facility
Chevron Lummus Global: Zeoforming technology