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The Esmeraldas Refinery is located in Esmeraldas, on Ecuador’s northwest coast. It is owned and operated by EP Petroecuador, Ecuador’s state oil company. Its nameplate capacity of 110,000 barrels per day (b/d), makes it the largest refinery in Ecuador. It has a Nelson Complexity Index (NCI) of 6.36.

Core Processes

• Crude Distillation: The refinery operates both atmospheric and vacuum distillation units, referred to as Crude 1 and Vacuum 1, which are essential for separating crude oil into various fractions.
• Fluid Catalytic Cracking: The FCC unit is considered the “heart” of the refinery, responsible for converting heavier fractions into lighter, high-value products such as gasoline and diesel. This unit has been a focal point for maintenance and modernization efforts.
• Visbreaking: The refinery includes a visbreaking unit, which helps reduce the viscosity of heavy residual oils, increasing the yield of lighter products.