Pörner Group: New Biturox<sup>®</sup> Plant for SOCAR in Baku

On 22 October 2015, Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft signed a contract with SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic) for the design and supply of a Biturox^® plant for the Heydar Aliyev Refinery in Baku / Azerbaijan. The plant, for the production of quality bitumen, is part of a comprehensive modernization project and replaces the Biturox^® plant that Pörner delivered to Azerneftyag in 1995.

[Translate to Englisch:] v.l.n.r.: DI Andreas Pörner, Geschäftsführer von Pörner, Rovnag Abdullayev Präsident von SOCAR, Elman Ismayilov Raffineriedirektor, bei der Unterzeichnung des Vertrags.

For the Biturox^® plant, Pörner will provide the license, basic engineering, pilot tests - carried out in the Pörner research facility, key equipment and commissioning support.

Pörner Biturox^® Technology for modern refineries
The previous Biturox^® plant produced bitumen successfully for 20 years. The establishment of a new plant in the Heydar Aliyev Refinery outside the urban area, was a result of the closing of the refinery site in the heart of Baku. Using the latest off-gas treatment system, and designed for an annual capacity of 400,000 tons, this plant will meet the high demand for quality bitumen for the further expansion of the road network of Azerbaijan.

The Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery is located near the capital Baku and is currently undergoing extensive modernization. The annual processing capacity will increase from six million tons to seven and a half million tons. All grades of fuel produced, will comply with Euro 5 standards and are quality feed materials for the Azerkimya downstream plant, such as ethylene, propylene and butylene.

SOCAR (State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic)

SOCAR, the state energy company of Azerbaijan, is a leading oil and gas companies, with a turnover of €40 billion euros. The internationally active company employs approximately 61,000 people. SOCAR is involved in the development of new oil and gas fields, processed, produced and transported oil, gas and gas condensates, it markets petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and overseas markets and supplies the industry and population of Azerbaijan with natural gas and fuels.