Base oils produced at Uzbekistan’s Fergana Refinery have successfully passed the registration process under the European REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) procedure, Sanoat Energetika Guruhi (Saneg) announced today.

The regulation authorizes the production and sale of all chemicals, including petroleum products, in EU member states. 

For the export of base oils into the EU for sale to end consumers, registration with the REACH regulation is required. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) oversees compliance with the regulation. 

Saneg Chief Executive Tulkin Yusupov said: 

“Obtaining REACH compliance was made possible thanks to implementing a comprehensive program to improve the quality of base oils produced by Saneg and our oil business subsidiary, SEG Motol. The strategic vision is to actively enter the European market, while implementing an ambitious program to create a line of industrial and automotive oils that meet international quality standards”.

As a result of changes in technology, replacement of catalysts in installations, and modernization of equipment, Saneg has increased the depth of removal of sulfur, nitrogen, aromatic hydrocarbons, and resinous asphaltene substances that negatively affected several oil characteristics. In particular, indicators such as carcinogen content, flash point, volatility, and color were met in accordance with European standards. 

By passing the European procedure, the base oils of the Fergana Refinery were recognized as meeting ECHA requirements for SN (solvent neutral) type oils of viscosity 150 and 350, which allows SN-150 and SN-350 products produced by the refinery to enter the European market. In addition, this is an essential step towards the involvement of base oils in the production of commercial products at the company’s Italian production site in Bari – Saneg Oil Italy, which acted as the project’s operator to achieve REACH compliance.

Nasiba Ziyodullayeva, UzA