PETRONAS on Wednesday held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its Group III lubricant base oil plant, the first of its kind in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
The base oil plant, located within the PETRONAS Refinery Complex in Melaka, is scheduled to come onstream in 2008. It will have the capacity to produce 6,500 barrels per day or about 300,000 metric tons per year of Group III base oils, a major component in the manufacture of top-tier energy-conserving automotive and industrial lubricants.
The plant will use high-wax feedstock to be sourced from PETRONAS’ refineries in Melaka and Kertih. The high-wax feedstock will then be further refined at the new base oil plant into Group III base oils.
The finished products will be marketed under the ETRO brand to higher-end lubricant manufacturers globally. PETRONAS is setting up a specific marketing outfit with its own distribution network to market the base oils, with the support of technical specialists to meet the stringent requirements of the Group III base oil market.
The groundbreaking ceremony was officiated by PETRONAS Vice President, Oil Business Datuk Anuar Ahmad. The project is another testimony to PETRONAS’ continuous commitment both to adding value to the nation’s petroleum resources and to nurturing knowledge and capability in high-end technology.
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