Croatia's INA Rijeka Refinery Delayed Coking Unit Commissioned, Operating Load Reaches 70%

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 21, the new delayed coking unit at the Rijeka Refinery of Croatian oil and gas company INA, located in the northern Adriatic, entered the continuous production phase. The unit officially introduced feedstock and started production on September 1, and has been operating continuously since then, with its load reaching approximately 70% of design capacity. The Rijeka Refinery has a crude oil processing capacity of approximately 90,000 barrels per day, and the commissioning of the new unit marks an important operational milestone in the refinery's nearly EUR 700 million upgrade project.

The delayed coking unit commissioned this time is mainly used to further process heavy residues generated during the refining process and increase the output of diesel and other high-value-added distillates. INA previously disclosed that once the unit is fully operational, the share of diesel in the product slate of the Rijeka Refinery is expected to increase by approximately 30%, while dependence on imported petroleum products can be reduced and the need for imported vacuum gas oil (VGO) can be eliminated.

The Rijeka Refinery upgrade project involves a total investment of close to EUR 700 million, making it one of the largest single investments in INA's history. The project scope includes the construction of a new delayed coking unit, modification of existing production units, a new jetty, coke storage silos, a closed coke conveying system, and a high-capacity substation and other supporting facilities, with more than half of the engineering workload completed by local Croatian contractors.

The project entered an intensive commissioning phase in early 2026. In February, the delayed coking unit completed cold testing and entered hot commissioning, gradually introducing steam, water, fuel gas, and petroleum products to verify process equipment, automation systems, and safety systems under real operating conditions. In March, INA announced the completion of the main construction of the refinery upgrade project; by the first half of the year, the new unit had achieved mechanical completion of the systems, and startup and commissioning work continued to advance.

With feedstock formally entering the delayed coking unit in September, the project further transitioned from equipment commissioning to actual production operations. INA will continue to increase the unit load and optimize process parameters so that the entire coking system gradually reaches design conditions. The Rijeka Refinery is also advancing an energy system upgrade during the same period, completing in September the installation of a backpressure steam turbine and generator with an investment of more than EUR 15 million, aimed at reducing steam consumption and improving energy utilization efficiency in the refining process.