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Belarusian chemical industry was born here, on the ancient Polotsk land, on the left bank of the Western Dvina river. Novopolotsk oil refinery was the flagship of the contemporary branch of economy and currently is an important integral part of the industrial system of the country.
Construction of the plant started in 1958 by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 2577-р dated August 6, 1958. The general designer was Lengiprogaz Institute, and later Lengiproneftekhim.
Main criteria in the choice of the construction site were favourable geographic location near western borders which allowed exporting into the countries of Western Europe; the necessity to supply oil products to western regions of the USSR, and the neighbourhood of Polotsk – a large transport hub.
On February 9, 1963 first gasoline of the Belarusian origin was produced.
At that times the plant was designed to process 6 million tons of crude oil per year. The production base comprised the facility of primary oil processing with the capacity of 2 million toms per year (АВТ-1), the facility for thermal cracking of black oil (15-5), and the facility for bitumen production (19-5).
In 1964 the facility for catalytic gasoline reforming was launched.
1965 – the facility for oil production with the capacity of 120 thousand tons per year, the second facility for primary oil processing, facilities for hydrofining of diesel fuel, desulfurization of dry gases, and the facility for production of sulfuric acid from hydrogen sulphide were launched.
1966 – the project for expansion of the plant for processing of crude oil up to 17 million tons per year was designed. The project comprised increase of production of light oil products, oils, bitumen, oil additives, and production of aromatic carbohydrates: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, paraxylene, orthoxylene, pseudocumene. There is envisaged the construction of deep oil processing in the structure of the following facilities: catalytic cracking of vacuum gasoil, gas fractioning, alkylation, isomerization, polymerization, facilities of thermocontact coking of goudron. A modernized facility for production of hard high-purity paraffins shall also be launched.
In 1970-80s the project of the plant expansion was implemented as to construction of the facilities for primary oil processing АТ-8, АВТ-6, hydrocracking of diesel fuel, refining of gasolines, production of aromatic carbohydrates, increase of production capacity of lubrication oils.
The development of the plant was not limited to the project of expansion to 17 million tons per year. Based on demand of the USSR in certain kinds of products, new facilities were built to meet the requirements under individual project. Thus, to increase production of high quality lubrication oil additives, the facilities for production of succinamide (1973) and sulfate (1976) additives were built, and in 1892 the complex for production of liquid paraffins was put into operation.
In order to increase export of black oil and diesel fuel, the facilities AT and ABT were upgraded to increase the capacity of primary oil processing. In 1967 the facility АВТ-1 was modernized, and in 1974 the facility АВТ-2 and in 1975 the facility of thermal cracking of black oil were rebuild for primary oil processing. In 1978 the facility AT-8 and in 1980 the facility ABT-6 were also upgraded. The capacity of the plant in terms of primary oil processing had reached 25 million tons per year by 1980.
In order to improve quality of aviation kerosene, in 1977 the facility for demarcaptanization of kerosene (project by UOP) and in 1978 the facility for hydrofining of kerosene were launched.
In 1984 the facility for production of benzene by means of hydrodealkylation of tolyene and xylenes (project by Asahi, Japan) was launched.
Currently the existing production facilities are continuously upgraded for the purpose of further expansion of oil product processing.
In accordance with Order of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus dated August 28, 2002 No. 118, Naftan Novopolotsk Production Association Republican Unitary Enterprise was restructured into Naftan Open Joint-Stock Company.
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