STAR Refinery starts turnaround to increase production, efficiency and reliability

STAR Refinery, one of the group companies of SOCAR Türkiye, Türkiye's largest foreign investor and the largest integrated industrial group, will carry out maintenance and improvement works of all equipment in the facility by taking a planned break in production for the first time.

STAR Refinery, which is engaged in continuous production in integration with Petkim, another group company of SOCAR Türkiye, will start the turnaround process. During the maintenance work, the physical conditions of all equipment of the facility will be reviewed in a planned and comprehensive manner. The refinery, which will resume production after the work planned to last approximately two months, also aims to increase efficiency and capacity with some investment projects to be carried out during the shutdown.

During the planned shutdown, all equipment to be used in production will be subject to periodic and preventive maintenance as well as the necessary maintenance and controls within the scope of legal obligations. In addition, remedial update projects will be commissioned in some systems. The main purpose of this important activity is to increase the downtime interval of the refinery from four to five years and to ensure the safe, efficient and uninterrupted continuity of the refinery's operations until the next planned shutdown.

According to current data for 2024, STAR Refinery meets approximately 19.5% of Türkiye's need for processed petroleum products. With the completion of the capacity increase project, which is carried out in integration with the turnaround, a 2.5% increase in production capacity is planned.

STAR Refinery Turnaround preparations successfully completed

As a result of nearly two years of preparations, STAR Refinery took important steps for the planned shutdown process. By adopting the “Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Excellence in Turnaround” approach, all work during the shutdown was meticulously planned with expert teams and international consultants.

Within the scope of the planned shutdown, pioneering practices such as “risk-based work permit and occupational safety management” and “proactive contractor safety management” were implemented. Possible risks and situations that may affect downtime were identified and necessary measures were taken. All employees of the Refinery and Petrochemicals Business Unit received comprehensive training on occupational health and safety to take part in the turnaround.

Prior to the shutdown, a “Business Partner OHS-E CEO Forum” event focusing on Occupational Health, Safety and Environment was organized with the participation of senior executives of contractor companies that will take part in the Refinery and Petrochemicals site. During the event, experiences were shared and ideas were exchanged in order to maximize occupational safety in this process.

With the completion of the turnaround, a total of 3.2 million person-hours of work time is planned to be reached. This turnaround, which will take place for the first time at STAR Refinery, will contribute to increasing the company's operational efficiency, realizing forward-looking technological improvements and achieving long-term sustainable growth targets by increasing investments.