According to him, the Norwegian grade of North Sea oil, which the Belarusian plant received, is called Johan Sverdrup. It has been produced on an industrial scale on the Norwegian continental shelf since Q4 2019.
“This oil is already called a competitor to the Russian Urals. It entered the market quite confidently due to its quality characteristics. For example, the sulphur content in this oil is twice less than that in Urals, and the yield of light oil products at its processing, as laboratory analysis showed, is slightly higher than that of Urals. In my opinion, the potential and prospects for this grade, compared to Urals, are very promising,” the Naftan head said.
Aleksandr Demidov said that it would be possible to say more about further prospects of using Norwegian oil after all the analyses are conducted. “We have bought this grade for the 1st time. We will look into all aspects. In our opinion, this grade is not bad. Another important aspect is that the raw materials are purchased without mediators, directly from one of the companies involved in the Norwegian oil production project. Besides, we have developed good relations with the suppliers,” the director general added.
On 1 January Russia stopped delivering oil to Belarus. Belarusian oil refineries – Mozyr Oil Refinery and Naftan – reduced their workload to the minimum the technology allows. On 4 January Belneftekhim announced its agreement with a Russian company for the 1st batch of oil without paying a premium. The Belarusian government said that ways for alternative oil supplies are under consideration.
