The state-owned company Petroperú established a new milestone in the operation of the Talara Refinery with the start of shipments of sulfuric acid, a high value-added and high-concentration product, bound for Chile.
The first shipment, consisting of approximately 19,800 metric tons of the product, was executed at the end of August from the Liquid Loading Dock No. 1 to the tanker ship Pheasant. The vessel set sail for the Port of Mejillones, Antofagasta Region.
“With this successful operation, Petroperú has achieved a strategic advance in the optimization and efficiency of the Talara Refinery, which not only consolidates the company’s entry into a new market for specialty products but also reinforces its competitiveness, logistical capacity, and international projection,” the entity stated.
A second shipment took place on September 8, corresponding to 16,765 metric tons of sulfuric acid that were loaded aboard the MT Concon Trader. The ship is destined for Puerto Barquito, Atacama Region.
“This shipment is part of the current contract with the company Hexagon Trading AG, through which Petroperú has committed to supply a total of 160,000 MT of high-concentration sulfuric acid, originating from the refinery’s modern infrastructure,” stated the Peruvian state-owned company.
The sulfuric acid is produced by the new Sulfuric Acid Unit (WSA), a state-of-the-art plant licensed by the international firm Haldor Topsoe, which processes the refinery’s residual acid gases and converts them into a high-purity commercial product, with a capacity of 560 tons per day.
“This process prevents millions of tons of sulfur from contaminating the environment and transforms it into sulfuric acid, a high commercial value product for various industries, consolidating a circular economy model,” Petroperú emphasized.
“The WSA Unit has a production capacity of 560 tons per day, which has allowed Petroperú to successfully enter the export market for this industrial input, vital for sectors such as mining and the chemical industry,” it added.
For his part, Alejandro Narváez Liceras, Chairman of the Board of Petroperú, commented that “we are meeting the priority objectives we set for this year, which are the optimization of the New Talara Refinery, the increase in market share, and the internationalization of our products. We are optimistic about each of our guidelines, for the benefit of the company’s operational and financial sustainability.”
Finally, it is worth mentioning that Petroperú – through the Talara Refinery – aims to establish itself as a relevant player in the regional industrial products market and, furthermore, reinforce its contribution to the economic development of Peru.
