During the legally required water pressure test as part of the final work on the OMV Schwechat Refinery’s turnaround, significant damage occurred to the crude oil distillation unit on June 3, 2022, following a mechanical incident. This unit processes most of the crude oil into its various components, thereby preparing it for further processing in the refinery.

 

Immediately after the incident, a broad-based on-site task force was set up with the remit of investigating the incident and at the same time working on restoring operations.

 

In the first phase, a comprehensive inspection checklist is being ticked off, based on a broad selection of non-destructive testing methods. In addition, material samples are being taken and these are tested for defects in special testing laboratories. 

 

Parallel to this, work is already underway on a detailed repair concept, with the first step being to optimize material procurement. Based on this, the most suitable repair methods will be identified and a corresponding schedule drawn up. At present it is not yet possible to estimate the duration of the repair phase.

 

For the duration of the repairs, OMV has established a new supply system to supply the markets served by the OMV Schwechat Refinery. This system is based on three pillars:

 

1. OMV is using the capacities of the refinery network within the group to compensate for the loss of production in Schwechat in order to be able to temporarily supply the Schwechat site with feedstock and the Austrian market with larger product volumes.

 

2. The distillation capacities of a smaller available crude oil distillation unit are being maximized. In this way, all crude oil produced by OMV in Austria can continue to be processed without restriction. In addition, short-term adjustments are being examined to further increase the Schwechat Refinery’s existing production capacities. 

 

3. OMV will cooperate with partners and buy in products to make up for shortfalls. Work is currently underway with logistics partners to implement this new supply concept.

 

The release of fuel reserves by the Republic of Austria is a sensible measure that will secure supplies until the new supply system is fully in place.