Turkey, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, is a country of geostrategic significance. Where silk and spices once passed through the country on ancient trade routes, nowadays Turkey is playing an increasingly important role in the transit of oil. Located between the oil-rich Middle East countries, Russia and neighboring states and the European demand centers, it is home to the Turkish Straits, transport corridor for almost three million barrels per day in 2013.
A recent development in this sector is the construction of the STAR (Socar Turkey Aegean Refinery) refining plant in Aliaga, near Izmir in the country's west, being built by Azerbaijan's state oil company Socar. The refinery, Turkey's fifth, will process 10 million metric tons of crude a year from 2017, producing 1.6 million tons of naphtha, as well as 4.9 million tons of diesel and 1.63 million tons of jet fuel. It will also make liquefied petroleum gas and petro-coke.
The naphtha produced will be used as feedstock by Socar's Turkish Petkim Petrokimya Holding division, the country's biggest petrochemicals company. The refinery's output will help to reduce Turkey's dependence on imports of refined oil products and diesel fuel. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Turkey's crude oil imports are expected to double over the next decade.
The plant is being built by TSGI, a consortium comprising Tecnicas Reunidas, Saipem, GS Engineering & Construction and Itochu Corp. and ABB's involvement with the project includes system studies and the subsequent award of system and product supplies worth more than $100 million related to the electrification package for the new refinery.
Leveraging the strength of ABB's portfolio
ABB's project scope includes the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the complete electrical equipment to power the new plant, which is sourced from across the group - ranging from the 154-kilovolt gas-insulated switchgear substation to the low-voltage (LV) distribution centers including all intermediate electrical equipment.
Key products supplied include high- , medium- and low-voltage (HV, MV and LV) switchgear, power and distribution transformers, MV and LV capacitors, variable speed drives for motors, uninterrupted power supply units, LV bus ducts, LV motor control centers, as well as substation automation and electrical SCADA for the complete plant. The project is scheduled for completion by 2017.
"ABB's delivery includes the complete electrical transmission and distribution system for the new plant and ensures reliable supply of high-quality power for critical processes to ensure productivity and efficiency," said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB's Power Grids division. "We will leverage advanced technologies from across ABB and our extensive system integration capabilities to deliver this complex project and support the operation of this important refinery. This project is another example of our focus on the oil, gas and petrochemical markets, in line with our Next Level strategy."
Building on a strong track record
This is not the only order ABB has won recently to involve the transport of fuel through Turkey. In late 2015, the company was awarded a contract to deliver integrated software solutions for telecommunication and control systems to monitor, secure and control the 1,850-kilometer Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). The gas will come from a field in the Caspian Sea, cross Turkey and enter the European network in Italy, with TANAP forming the central section of the Southern Gas Corridor.
