The investment in the refinery will increase capacity to meet demand for cleaner transportation fuels. Credit: esartee.

ExxonMobil has started operations of a new delayed coker unit at its refinery in Antwerp, Belgium, to convert heavy, higher-sulphur residual oils into high-value transportation fuels such as marine gas oil and diesel.

With a daily capacity of 50,000 barrels, the development will allow the company to meet the demand for cleaner transportation fuels throughout north-west Europe.

The new unit will also help the refinery to meet anticipated demand for lower-sulphur fuel oil as companies will be forced to comply with new fuel emission standards to be enforced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) starting from 1 January 2020.

“The $2bn we have invested in our Antwerp refinery over the last decade has made the facility one of the most modern and efficient in the world.”

ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants Company president Bryan Milton said: “Our investment in Antwerp strengthens ExxonMobil’s competitiveness and position as a leading European refiner by expanding the refinery’s product slate and increasing our ability to deliver larger quantities of cleaner, higher-value fuels to European customers.

“The $2bn we have invested in our Antwerp refinery over the last decade has made the facility one of the most modern and efficient in the world.”

Apart from the coker unit, the company has completed a 130MW cogeneration unit at the refinery, which contributes to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a diesel hydrotreater.

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ExxonMobil noted that the hydrotreater increased the refinery’s low-sulphur diesel production capacity.

The delayed coker unit at Antwerp refinery is said to be one of the several expansion projects being carried out by the firm at its European facilities.

The company is currently building a new hydrocracker in Rotterdam. In addition, an expansion project is being considered at the company’s Fawley refinery in the UK, including a new hydrotreater unit and associated hydrogen plant to increase domestic diesel output.