PM Dũng: Dung Quất’s first flow of commercial oil is a significant mark

VGP – Witnessing the launching of the first flow of commercial oil processed from domestic crude oil by Việt Nam’s first oil refinery, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng emphasized that the Dung Quất Refinery is a national key project of political, socio-economic and security significance in the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, Central region and Quảng Ngãi Province.

PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng at the inauguration of the first oil refinery in Việt Nam - Photo: VGP

Quảng Ngãi Province today was overwhelmed in a happy atmosphere when many big projects were inaugurated, including the province’s highest skyscraper, Võ Văn Kiệt Road, and Dung Quất Oil Refinery.

Addressing the launching ceremony of the first flow of commercial oil produced by Dung Quất, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng showed his pleasure at the official operation of the country’s first oil refinery that is equipped with technology, managed and operated by Việt Nam itself.

This event “marks an important start of the oil refinery and petrochemical industry”, the PM said, adding that the oil refinery is a milestone and a key national project of great significance in all aspects, from politics, economy, society, national defense and security to the industrialization and modernization process of the country, the Central region and Quảng Ngãi Province.

The Government chief took the occasion to praise efforts made by officials, experts, engineers, workers, project management board and contractors to overcome difficulties and challenges to bring out the Dung Quất oil refinery’s first flow of petroleum – an expectation of the whole country.

He asked Quảng Ngãi’s government, PetroVietnam, Dung Quất Economic Zone Management Board, and leaders of the Dung Quất Refinery to join hands in generating job and taking care of local people’s life, especially those who had devoted their lands and houses for the oil refinery.

Mr. Phạm Đình Khối, Secretary of the Quảng Ngãi Party Committee, stated that the official operation of the oil refinery will promote the province’s poverty reduction, job generation and social security.

The same day, the representative of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Quality and Standard Directorate handed over the quality certificate to the first petroleum flow produced by the Dung Quất Oil Refinery.

The Dung Quất Oil Refinery was defined by the Vietnamese National Assembly as a key national work which needs to use advanced technologies and techniques to produce high-grade products meeting strict requirements for environmental protection. With the designed capacity of refining 6.5 million tons of crude oil a year, the refinery is expected to meet about 30% of local demand for petroleum. The oil refinery construction was undertaken by the Technip contractor group that included Technip (France), Technip (Malaysia), JGC (Japan), and Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain). During the construction process, started in 2005, the Technip group already recruited more than 100 Vietnamese sub-contractors and suppliers of related equipment and services. It has generated jobs for tens of thousands of local people in Quảng Ngãi and at peak periods employed up to 12,000 workers from other localities in Việt Nam and more than 30 countries around the world. The plant is expected to run at its full capacity in this August. When running in full, the Dung Quất Oil Refinery is capable of churning out about 150,000 tons of petrol, 240,000 tons of diesel, and around 23,000 tons of LPG a month. Additionally, it can also be producing over 8,000 tons of Propylene, 30,000 tons of jet fuel and around 25,000 tons of FO. In total, this year the plant is expected to hit the market with about 2.6 million tons of oil products. To serve the full operation, the Dung Quất Refinery has since May, 2008 conducted several test runs, using 1,500 tons of LPG, over 50,000 tons of diesel, and 160,000 tons of crude oil from the Bạch Hổ (White Tiger) oilfield. More than 1,000 people have been trained to operate and manage the refinery.

 By Nguyên Hồ