Shell has begun operations at its impressive new lubricants blending plant in Russia.
Inside the new Tver plant Image: Shell |
The facility, in the the Tver region north-west of Moscow, is the first to be built in the country by an international oil company. Shell made the investment as part of its lubes production and marketing expansion into Russia, but the plant is also set to reduce the nation's reliance on lubes imports.
Andrey Shevelev, Governor of the Tver region, said: “Fruitful cooperation between the Tver Region and Shell has resulted in investment, the creation of 150 jobs, and contributions to the Tver Region’s budget in the form of taxes. The Shell lubricants blending plant, opened today, is a top example of the kind of investment we want to attract to the region. This is the most ambitious project implemented by a foreign investor in the Tver Region.”
The location of the plant, in Torzhok, is ideal for supply of finished consumer, transport and industrial lubricants to the expanding Russian market, given its close proximity to the main transportation routes connecting Moscow and St Petersburg. The plant will handle bulk volumes of finished lubricants, speeding up delivery times and reducing storage costs.
Neighbouring countries may also benefit when the operation reaches full capacity. According to Shell: “Supply chain is the corner stone of efficient delivery to our customers of high quality lubricants products, such as Shell Helix, Shell Rimula, Shell Spirax, Shell Tellus and Shell Omala.”
The plant incorporates world-class lubricant blending technology and will blend up to 200m litres a year, making it one of the largest in Shell’s global network. With fully-automated processes, the plant's central control room incorporates the latest international standards, with stringent quality control tests at all stages of production.