Investments by MOL Group and INA are delivering results: A key phase of testing of the new production unit is starting in Rijeka

Functional testing represents the so-called hot phase, in which process media are gradually introduced into the system, which has already undergone “cold” testing. Utility media – steam, water and refinery gas – are introduced first, followed by the petroleum substances themselves under strictly controlled pressure, temperature and safety conditions. During  this phase, the functionality of the equipment is verified under actual operating conditions, and the coordination of automation and safety systems and process stability are monitored. The hot testing phase will last several weeks. The facility will then enter trial operation with gradually increasing capacity until full operating parameters are reached.

“By entering the hot phase, we have taken another step towards fully commercial production at the new heavy residue processing facility. This is one of the most demanding phases of this complex energy project, as we are introducing process media into the system for the first time and testing all technical and safety functions under real conditions. Our priority is to proceed in a controlled and safe manner in accordance with the highest industry standards. Following the successful completion of the hot phase, we expect the production facility to enter trial operation and the entire complex to operate at full capacity in 2026,” said Goran Pleše, INA's Chief Operating Officer for Refining and Marketing.

The Rijeka refinery modernisation project, with investments of almost 700 million euros, represents the largest single investment in INA's history and is currently one of Croatia's key industrial projects. It includes the construction of a heavy residue processing unit (DCU), the modernisation of existing production units, a new port, silos, an enclosed coke transport system and a new electrical substation. The latter is the largest in the country and ensures reliable electricity supplies for the new complex. Thanks to this project, the Rijeka refinery is becoming one of the most technologically advanced in the region, with higher energy efficiency, better crude oil utilisation and a higher share of products with high added value.

Thanks to the new heavy residue processing unit, INA will significantly increase production, particularly of diesel, by up to 30 percent, while also reducing imports of petroleum products, especially during the summer tourist season, when consumption is highest. The production process will no longer require imports of vacuum gas oil (VGO), which on the European market is mostly of Russian origin, further strengthening Croatia's energy security and reducing its dependence on imported raw materials. INA continues to focus on safe and uninterrupted supplies to the Croatian market and key regional markets – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia.

The Rijeka refinery modernisation project is part of a long-term investment cycle in which INA and MOL Group have invested more than one billion euros in modernising refinery and logistics infrastructure over the past decade.