Project Profile
Value: Undisclosed
Location: Mažeikiai, Lithuania
Capacity: 15 million tons of crude oil per year
Start-up Year: -
The Mažeikiai refinery, located near the town of Mažeikiai, has a design processing capacity of 15 million tons of crude oil per year. However, it is more efficient to process around 8 million tons of crude oil, while using the remaining capacity for processing other feedstock. Historically, the primary feedstock has been Russian crude oil transported via the Druzhba pipeline, however the relevant branch of this system has been closed in Russian territory since July 2006, ostensibly for repairs. Crude oil is now being supplied by the Būtingė Terminal. The Mažeikiai refinery is the only oil refinery in the Baltic States.
Pipeline System:
ORLEN Lietuva (ex Mažeikių Nafta) operates a system of pipelines with a total length of around 500 kilometres. This system includes two pump stations near Biržai and another near Joniškis, crude oil pipelines to the Mažeikiai Refinery and Būtingė Terminal, a crude oil pipeline leading to Ventspils, and another products pipeline supplying diesel fuel to the same location. Construction of pipelines in Lithuania started in 1966, with the first crude oil being put through them in 1968. In 1992, the company Naftotiekis was founded for the operation of Lithuanian pipelines, which became part of Mažeikių Nafta in 1998.
Būtingė Marine Terminal:
The Būtingė Terminal is a facility owned by ORLEN Lietuva (ex Mažeikių Nafta), situated in an all-year-round ice-free area of the Baltic Sea on the Lithuanian coastline near the town of Būtingė, north of Palanga. The project began in 1995 when the company Būtingės Nafta was established for the purpose of constructing and operating the Terminal. In 1998, Būtingės Nafta was merged into Mažeikių Nafta. The first tanker was loaded in Būtingė in the summer of 1999 and took on board a shipment of YUKOS crude oil. The Terminal can export up to 14 million tons of crude oil a year but can also function as an import terminal. During the construction of the facility, an environmental monitoring program was introduced that includes tests of sea and ground waters. With the start of the terminal operations, an expanded environmental monitoring program was launched. This included a computer-based leak detection system. The complex of the Būtingė Terminal consists of a crude oil pipeline that connects the facility with the Mažeikiai Refinery inland, onshore terminal equipment and tanks at Būtingė, an offshore pipeline, and a single point mooring (SPM) buoy which lies 7 km offshore. ORLEN Lietuva (ex Mažeikių Nafta).
Operators:
ORLEN Lietuva (ex Mažeikių Nafta): Operator with 100% interest