• extensive inspection of the technical condition, maintenance and replacement of assets are part of the modernization and regular maintenance plan
• the refinery follows the plans of its strategy and tries to increase its flexibility in processing different types of oil
• the spring period of turnarounds will last approximately three months, the next part of the turnarounds is planned for autumn
• as part of turnarounds and technological stops during the spring and autumn, Slovnaft will invest more than 130 million euros

BRATISLAVA, April 23, 2024 – Slovnaft refinery is about to start the spring part of turnarounds in the middle of next week. Shutdowns are planned and necessary to ensure the continued smooth operation of technologies. These are also the first turnarounds since the refinery processes a larger share of alternative types of oil, which requires further investment in projects. In line with the MOL Group's recently updated Shape Tomorrow strategy, this will provide the refinery with greater flexibility in processing different types of oil. 25 production units will gradually be shut down, 22 in the spring phase. Return to full production is planned for the second half of June. The second part of the turnarounds is scheduled for September and October this year.

There will be an extensive inspection of the technical condition and maintenance of the equipment, replacement of used parts with new ones and, in some cases, complete modernization during the turnarounds. The goal is to reduce energy consumption in the production of oil products and increase safety and reliability. Total costs of the turnarounds including the investments will exceed 130 million euros.

"The main goal of the turnarounds is to satisfy inspections mandated by legislation, to clean equipment, to replace catalysts, and to make repairs that cannot be done during operation. These activities are carried out regularly every five years in order to ensure the reliable operation of the production units until the next planned shutdown. After we started processing alternative oil in significant quantities, we plan to activate the prepared projects in order to further increase the flexibility of the refinery," explains Branislav Vinter, Director of Production at SLOVNAFT, a.s.

During the turnarounds there may be an increased noise and odours level, and possible controlled burning on flares. The goal of refinery is to reduce the negative impacts affecting the lives of residents from the vicinity of the refinery to the necessary minimum. That is why the turnarounds are done based on the Turnaround excellence program, the essence of which is the detailed and consistent preparation of each step. This minimizes the risk of unforeseen events and the need for unplanned actions.

Slovnaft will continuously inform about the impact of the works on residents on the website www.slovnaft.sk/gr2024. On top of that, the Yellow Line is available 24 hours a day at 02/4055 8929 and the e-mail address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions. The Sused Slovnaft application with all information on works and possible impacts of the turnarounds is also available for people living in the neighbourhood of the refinery.

The main contractor of the works is the subsidiary company "Slovnaft Montáže a Opravy", besides, approximately 1,800 external workers will participate at the turnarounds in Slovnaft. Slovnaft customers were informed in advance, while the retail and wholesale markets will be supplied without restrictions.

About the SLOVNAFT Group

SLOVNAFT Group is an integrated refining and petrochemical group. The key company of the group is SLOVNAFT, a.s., processing crude oil in one of the most complex European refineries and providing the wholesale and retail sale of fuel. Slovnaft operates the largest network of service stations in Slovakia. The company is one of the leaders in Slovakia in the field of CSR and corporate philanthropy, significantly supporting sports, culture, education, youth and revitalization of the environment. Forbes magazine ranked the Slovnaft brand among the most valuable Slovak brands. The SLOVNAFT Group is a member of the international MOL Group, whose long-term Strategy 2030 Shape Tomorrow aims for carbon neutrality by 2050. The Group's goal is to focus on renewable fuels, support of various forms of mobility, green investments and creating value from waste.

On Thursday, October 19, in the early afternoon, the electricity supply to the Slovnaft refinery was cut off, as a result of which the entire production process was gradually shut down. Shutting down of  production units is always accompanied by the burning of raw material on flares, and an increased level of noise and odour depending on the weather conditions. These processes were controlled and safe.

After the restoration of electricity supplies, the gradual start-up of production units began, which will last several days. In the following days, the public may therefore repeatedly notice effects such as controlled burning on field burners, increased noise or odour. All start-up work is controlled.

The reasons for the failure of the electricity supply to the refinery are the subject of further investigation. We apologize to the residents from surrounding area of the refinery for the temporary reduction in comfort. Despite the burning on the flares and the subsequent, according to the measurements at our monitoring stations, the limit values of pollutants in the air were not exceeded. The emission values from Slovnaft air monitoring stations can be examined by the general public at official website of Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute in the air quality services section. Information is also publicly available via the Sused Slovnaft application.

At the same time, we would like to thank all colleagues at the production units and related operations, as well as the factory fire department for the excellent handling of the emergency, in which there were no injuries. We thank the representatives of the surrounding districts and municipalities for their flexible cooperation in informing the public.

• SLOVNAFT, a.s. noticed an increased amount of fake trade name advertising
• fraudulent activities on behalf of Slovnaft appear mainly on social media, but also as videos or phone calls
• SLOVNAFT, a.s. distances itself from this unethical and fraudulent conduct and calls on the public
  to be cautious

SLOVNAFT, a.s. has recently noticed a significant increase in fraudulent activities that misuse the company's trade name, its brand or the names and photographs of the company's management. Slovnaft warns the public to approach information in the public space critically and not to respond to suspicious offers.

In recent weeks, we have had a number of alerts about fraudulent activity being presented on our behalf. These are mostly sponsored posts on social media, which urge people to invest in the company and to buy Slovnaft shares on the stock exchange, with the promise of high profits. There are several websites on the internet that have been set up to obtain people's personal data and which can be misused. Besides fraudulent activity on the social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram, videos on YouTube and suspicious phone calls occurred this week too. In the case of telephone calls, callers put time pressure on the recipient of the call, possibly threatening sanctions if he or she does not respond to the offer.

"Slovnaft strongly distances itself from these unethical fraudulent activities. We urge the public to be cautious and to draw information about Slovnaft exclusively from the company's official website www.slovnaft.sk and official profiles on social networks," explains Anton Molnár, Spokesperson and Head of Communications of SLOVNAFT, a.s.

• Slovnaft launches new ethylene storage tank
• regular turnarounds of the production unit in the petrochemical part of the refinery and flaring will be gradually halved by the end of the year
• total CO₂ savings will reach 2558 tonnes per year
• the construction of the new storage tank cost almost 70 million euros

Bratislava, October 16, 2023 – Slovnaft has launched a new ethylene storage tank. The investment of almost EUR 70 million will reduce the need for regular shutdown of the LDPE4 polyethylene production unit by half. This will reduce the volume of CO₂ emissions and electricity consumption, and residents in the surroundings of refinery will notice a reduction in regular flaring,  i.e. burning on flares which is an essential part of production units shutting down. Besides the light effect, the flaring is usually accompanied by an increased noise level.

„While until now we needed to shut down the production unit in the petrochemical part of the refinery (LDPE4) an average of 24 times a year due to the raw material balance, by increasing the storage capacity of ethylene, which is the basic raw material for the production of polyethylene, the need to shut down LDPE4 will gradually decrease to 12 times a year by the end of the year,“ explains Ondrej Zákutný, head of Investments at Slovnaft, noting that flaring, i. e. burning of raw material on flare stacks, is an important safety feature when shutting down petrochemical production units.

The new ethylene storage tank is designed for the storage of liquefied ethylene. The non-pressurised double-walled cylindrical vessel with an outer diameter of 30 metres and a height of 26.7 metres can hold 6,000 tonnes (10,000 m3) of liquid ethylene. It is stored there at a temperature of -103 °C and an overpressure of 8 kPa(g).

„The new ethylene storage tank will allow for smoother operation of LDPE4, while reducing the risk of forced shutdown of the Ethylene Unit where ethylene is produced. The total CO₂  savings amount to 2558 tonnes per year,“ says O. Zákutný.

The BAT (Best Available Technology) principle was used in the construction of the ethylene storage tank. The main contractor was OT Industries, which, like Slovnaft, belongs to the MOL Group. The storage tank itself was made by the renowned Italian company Paresa, the compressor packages were supplied by Howden ČKD, NEAD and Aerzen. Two cryogenic submersible pumps from the American company Ebara are installed in the tank and the evaporation of ethylene is carried out by an exchanger from Linde. Two unique operations were also part of the construction.

„The roof of the storage tank was built inside and then was pushed on top of it by air. The roof itself weighs more than 100 tonnes and its construction, as well as the shell itself, was manufactured with millimetre precision in order to realise this lift,“ explains O. Zákutný.

Another exceptional operation was the drilling and plugging of a DN1000 diameter exhaust pipe at a 45-degree angle using the T.D. Williamson method. Such a specific connection method has never been implemented anywhere in the world before and was specially developed for Slovnaft by SEPS.

A video of the construction of the new ethylene storage tank, which will improve the operation of two production units, can be viewed here: 

The ethylene storage tank construction milestones

• September 2016 – investment approval
• August 2017 – contract signing
• July 2018 – start of implementation
• July 2022 – mechanical completeness, delivery of the work from the contractor
• July 2022 – October 2023 – test operation – testing , adjusting and putting the unit into test run
• October 2023 – set date for switchover to permanent operation

Ethylene storage tank in numbers

• Total investment: EUR 68.81 million
• Outside diameter: 30 m
• Height of the storage tank up to the roof dome (without reinforced concrete base): 26.7 m
• Operating capacity of ethylene: 6000 tons (10 000 m3)
• Storage temperature: -103 °C
• CO2 savings: 2558 tonnes per year