VENEZUELA - The Other Refineries.

The remaining three refineries - Puerto La Cruz, El Palito and San Roche - were all operated by Corpoven until the integrated unit's downstream assets were taken by PDV M&M and its upstream was absorbed by PDV E&P. Corpoven used to be the second biggest oil refiner in Venezuela.

The 199,000 b/d Puerto La Cruz, in eastern Venezuela, supplies jet fuel, diesel and various grades of gasoline to the local market and for export. A US$800m project completed in 2004 added a naphtha hydrotreating unit to increase unleaded gasoline output to 45,000 b/d, and a diesel hydro-desulphurisation unit raise ULSD output to 30,000 b/d. The plant also has new support facilities. Work on this project began in 2001 (see background in Vol. 61, DT 19).

El Palito: A catalytic distillation unit and a project for segregation of catalytic naphtha started up at the 135,000 b/d El Palito refinery in 1996. The unit uses technology from Intevep. It has helped boost the output of MTBE, TAME and high octane components needed to reformulate gasolines. The plant has been modenised with a new 48,000 b/d vacuum distillation unit and a 28,000 b/d vacuum gasoil desulphurisation unit. The gasoline-making capacity thus has incresed. The MTBE plant came on stream at El Palito in 1994. There is an aromatics (BTX) plant at this complex, operated by Pequiven. El Palito is close to the petrochemical production centre of Moron.