Oil refinery in Bosanski Brod is out of operation since January 2019 and it is expected to restart production in mid-2020. The construction and installation works of the internal gas pipeline system within Bosanski Brod oil refinery intended for the distribution and supply of the refinery’s boiler room with natural gas have been completely completed.
For this purpose, more than 1.3 kilometers of pipelines have been laid within the refinery grounds. With the completion of this phase of construction, it is now possible for the boiler room, which continuously maintains the operating systems of the Refinery, to use natural gas instead of fuel oil.
Although the gasification of the refinery was originally planned to be completed in the third quarter of this year, due to delays caused by the introduction of a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, the deadline has been postponed to December this year.
In 2017, Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska (RS) Petar Djokic and Croatian Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection Tomislav Coric have signed a cooperation agreement, according to which, Bosnian oil refinery in Bosanski Brod will be connected to Croatian natural gas transportation network. One of the goals of this agreement is to improve the air quality in nearby Croatian town of Slavonski Brod. The refinery is located near the Croatian border and the gasification is seen as the best solution for the dispute regarding cross-border air pollution. Previously, Croatian Government adopted a protocol which allows the connection of Bosnian Bosanski Brod oil refinery to Croatia’s natural gas transportation system. Croatian gas trader Crodux Plin will supply natural gas to Bosanski Brod refinery in the next ten years via a direct connection between the refinery and Croatian gas network in Slobodnica. However, the connection of gas networks of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia is currently not possible, although it could be enabled by transforming product line Slobodnica-Brod into a direct gas pipeline.
Oil refinery in Bosanski Brod, as well as the refinery in Modrica and Nestro Petrol in Banja Luka are part of Optima Group, majority owned by NeftegazInKor, a subsidiary of the Russian company Zarubezhneft.
