Awards Winner
LARTC Refinery of the Year 2023
Published 18 September 2023
By Khanyisile Maswanganyi, Research Associate, World Refining Association
And the winner is…
On the 13 September 2023, the World Refining Association hosted the Latin American Refining Technology Conference Awards of Excellence, where prominent players in the Latin American downstream industry were awarded for their role in advancing the downstream industry. We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Refinery of the Year 2023 award is Axion Energy for their Campana Refinery! Read on to find out more about their recent achievements.
In their region, Axion Energy are recognized as pioneers for their commitment to cleaner energy and the adoption of decarbonization technologies, which they have successfully implemented. The Campana refinery in Argentina boasts a crude processing capacity that accounts for more than 16% of the country's total refining capacity. Axion states that their Campana refinery is the most modern facility in South America, a claim supported by their substantial investment of $1,500 million in 2019 to expand and modernize the refinery. This investment allowed them to increase production by 50% and achieve a remarkable 99% reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions. As part of its growth journey, the Campana Refinery achieved a significant milestone through the successful completion of an extensive Expansion Project. This ambitious endeavour included the construction of a new 37kbd Coker Unit, a 45kbd Diesel Hydrotreatment plant, and an expansion of crude capacity to 100kbd, while also increasing the FCCU capacity to 31kbd. Notably, they erected four electrical substations and installed over 15 new tanks.
Impressively, all these remarkable developments were carried out while the refinery continued to operate without any disabling accidents, logging an impressive 13 million man-hours. The changes have made the Campana Refinery stand out as a top performer in terms of safety, production, and financial results. It has positioned itself as one of the most advanced and up-to-date refineries, achieving a notable 7-point reduction in its integrated energy efficiency index.
Axion has further managed to increase their automatic protection devices by 120%. But it doesn’t end there. They have also set a production capacity record by surpassing their crude oil run record during 2022 and in the first quarter of 2023.
A huge congratulations to everyone at Axion Energy’s Campana Refinery on a well deserved award – we can’t wait to see more of their outstanding work!
Celebrating outstanding achievements in Latin American Refining
13 September 2023 | Rio De Janeiro
You may also be interested in
Downstream Myths Debunked: The thoughts of an Arts Graduate
Read this opinion piece from an Arts Graduate starting her career in the Oil and Gas Industry and sharing her early learnings about the oil and gas production process. Read More
Caribbean Refining Industry Case Study – Strategies for Short to Medium Term Viability
"Greater regional cooperation should be strengthened during this time in terms of products, as well as storage, and even in terms of financing working capital”, says Jose Bautista, Technical Manager at the Dominican Republics’ Refidomsa Read More
The Potential of Carbon Capture for Refining
This article will assess the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies for Refiners. It will look at current CCUS projects in Europe and explore the potential challenges that downstream players will face. Read more. Read More
Waste Recycling: An Opportunity for Refiners?
This article will explore the implications of the circular economy for refiners and the opportunities that waste recycling technologies offer. Read More