US-based oil refiner Chevron Corpora-tion started commercial production of premium base oils from a newly constructed manufacturing facility at the company’s refinery in Pascagoula, near Mississippi, in July.

Base oils produced at the plant will add to capacity at Chevron’s refinery in Richmond, California, and a joint venture facility in Yeosu, Korea, will just about double Chevron’s production capacity and position it to be the world’s largest producer of premium base oil.

Chevron downstream and chemicals executive VP Mike Wirth says lubricants are a high growth business supporting economic development worldwide. “The addition of the Pascagoula plant to Chevron’s base oil network enhances Chevron’s reputation as a reliable and flexible base oil supplier globally.”

Base oils from the new facility will supply customers in the US, Eastern countries, Europe and Latin America, with Richmond continuing to supply the US and both Richmond and Yeosu supplying Asia.

The facility is designed to manufacture 25 000 bbl/d of premium base oil, helping countries around the world meet increasingly strict regulatory requirements and higher performance standards for lubricants.

Premium base oil is the main ingredient in the production of top-tier motor oils that help improve fuel economy, lower exhaust emissions and extend the time between oil changes. Base oils are used to make lubricants and greases for machinery and equipment in the commercial and industrial sectors.

The base oil facility uses Chevron’s proprietary ISO dewaxing technology, invented in 1993. The technology results in higher yields and enables the use of a broader range of crude oil in the manufacturing process. Over half of the world’s premium base oil is manufactured with this technology through licensing agreements with Chevron.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The ingenuity and commitment of the company’s employees and their application of the most innovative technologies in the world drive its success. Chevron is involved in almost every facet of the energy industry. The company explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels.

Local Footprint
Chevron distributes transportation fuel products and axle grease through about 800 Caltex service stations throughout South Africa.

The corporation’s Cape Town refinery has the capacity to produce 110 000 bbl/d, and its products include petroleum, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, fuel oil, asphalt and other products.

Chevron South Africa also has interests in a lubricants manufacturing plant in Durban
and maintains a laboratory and blending plant there.