Evolution of energy efficiency: TAIF-NK’s achievements at KazanEnergyExpo

Responding to the challenges of the time

In recent years, Energoprom International Energy Forum has become one of the key events in the industry generating significant interest from large corporations and government agencies. The significance of the event is confirmed by the solid list of honorary guests, including Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergey Tsivilyov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Mikhail Ivanov and others. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin also sent welcoming addresses to the participants of the event.

Speaking to those present, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergey Tsivilyov emphasized that today Russia faces serious challenges against the backdrop of growing demand for electricity.

“Today we have developed a general plan for the development of the country's energy industry until 2042. It is thought out in detail and compiled by our Russian specialists. In fact, today we are forming a long-term order for the construction of new and reconstruction of existing energy capacities, as well as for the creation of new energy transmission and storage systems. This is a large-scale job. It requires the unification of efforts of all those interested in the development of the industry. Thanks to all the participants of the forum,” thanked Sergey Tsivilyov.

Tatarstan Rais Rustam Minnikhanov noted that Energoprom serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas and practices, uniting scientists, engineers and the largest energy companies.

“This year the forum is held in the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is of great importance to us. We must remember and thank everyone who contributed to the Victory,” he added.

Rustam Minnikhanov also expressed confidence in the fruitful and effective work of the forum participants, noting that today a new era of cooperation begins.

Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Juma Daler Shofaqir emphasized the importance of providing countries with access to clean energy and efficient use of energy resources. According to her, these issues are a priority in the economic policy of Tajikistan.

Ecology and innovations

After the official opening ceremony of the forum, the guests of honour visited the largest exhibition of the energy industry — KazanEnergyExpo. The total area of the exhibition was 10,000 square metres. More than 90 energy companies from 17 regions of Russia, as well as companies from a number of foreign countries, including Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and others, presented their stands.

Traditionally, one of the central places at the exhibition was occupied by the exposition of TAIF Group, which included such enterprises as TAIF-NK, TGK-16 and TAIF-SM. The bright design of the stand immediately attracted the attention of the delegation. The chief engineer of the company Alexey Khramov told the guests about the achievements and current initiatives of TAIF-NK JSC.

“TAIF-NK oil refining complex is a large-scale and modern enterprise that consumes a lot of energy resources, such as fuel, natural gas and electricity. Therefore, the issue of increasing the energy efficiency of production is a pressing and ongoing task for us,” he emphasized.

According to him, one of the company's main achievements in 2023-2024 was the introduction of a unified scheme for collecting hydrocarbon gases from production facilities. This made it possible to reduce natural gas consumption by 14% and save 343 million rubles per year.

At the same time, the guaranteed power supply system for production facilities is being reconstructed — a system for fast-acting emergency reserve activation is being installed. 13 units of equipment worth 42 million rubles have already been introduced, which has significantly increased the efficiency of processes and the reliability of the entire production facility.

“This gave us the opportunity to avoid unscheduled shutdowns due to any fluctuations in the electrical network. When a voltage surge occurs due to an external factors, it affects the operating equipment, since switching to a backup power source takes time. The problem with voltage drops has not disappeared completely, but it has become less frequent and pronounced. Previously, this happened everywhere and significantly complicated the production process. The absence of emergency situations is a profit for the enterprise, since the risk of equipment shutdown and other negative consequences is avoided,” emphasized Alexey Khramov.

For the rational use of water resources, TAIF-NK JSC uses its own local treatment systems. They meet strict environmental safety requirements and help minimize the negative impact on nature.

In 2024, the company allocated 246 million rubles to replace electrodialysis membranes. From 2014 to 2024, the total savings in river water due to the consumption of purified water from local treatment facilities reached 13.5 million cubic metres, which, for example, is 21.4% of the volume of the Zainsk reservoir.

Course for import substitution

Alexey Khramov spoke in more detail about energy-saving projects at JSC TAIF-NK in an improvised studio of the Realnoe Vremya mobile editorial office. He noted that in 2024, the company successfully completed the technical re-equipment of a cooling tower with a capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per hour. The cost of the project was 95 million rubles, and all the equipment was manufactured in Russia.

“The modernization of the cooling tower made it possible to achieve standard values for the temperature regime of water circulation cycles and reduce water consumption by reducing drip runoff. We also have plans to build another cooling tower in 2025–2026. This will not be a modernization, but a new construction in order to avoid the need to purchase process water from our partners. The new cooling tower will have a greater capacity — 3,500 cubic meters per hour,” he added.

These measures contributed to the growth of production capacity and once again confirmed the company's commitment to domestic materials and technologies. As Alexey Khramov noted, import substitution for Russian companies has long ceased to be a fashionable trend, but has become a real necessity.

“Over the past 3-4 years, due to geopolitical changes, there has been a significant increase in the localization of production in Russia. Domestic equipment may look less presentable compared to foreign equipment, but it demonstrates reliability and engineering precision, which extends its service life. At our enterprise, we are also actively adapting to new conditions, independently providing ourselves with everything we need and solving problems with the supply of spare parts. Obsolete equipment requires a careful approach to operation, but this process can be perceived as a creative task,” the interlocutor shared.

Innovative solutions in oil refining

Even in these difficult times, TAIF-NK JSC continued its confident development. In 2024, the company commissioned a unit for the production of concentrated residue of tar hydrocracking. The implementation of this project allowed to increase the yield of light oil products by 2%, as a result of which the current figure reached 93.5%.

After analyzing the quality characteristics of the unit, it was found that it has several advantages over coal tar pitch. It does not contain benzopyrene, which ensures high environmental friendliness of the product. Due to its unique properties, the residue unit reduces the cost of metallurgical batch without deteriorating quality. Another important advantage is the ability to replace pitch with an alternative binding material.

In addition to residue production unit, the range of TAIF-NK JSC includes over 50 items of high-quality products. During the three days of KazanEnergyExpo exhibition, guests and residents of Kazan could learn about all the company's new products. It should be noted that the company's stand always remained the centre of attention: visitors actively approached oil refiners to get advice and discuss business proposals.

However, this is not surprising. From year to year, TAIF-NK JSC shows that high quality of its products, unique technological solutions, efficient use of resources and care for the environment are key priorities for its sustainable development.

This is also confirmed by the results of the republican competition for the best achievements in the field of energy saving and increasing energy efficiency. Traditionally, they are summed up during Energoprom. According to established tradition, TAIF-NK is again among the winners. This year, oil refiners became the best in Fuel Industry.

A diploma for active participation in the implementation of the state programme Energy and Resource Efficiency in the Republic of Tatarstan and achieving the best indicators of energy saving and energy efficiency by the end of 2024 was presented to Chief Engineer of TAIF-NK JSC Alexey Khramov by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin.

“This victory is the merit of the entire team. We are not going to stop there. There are many new tasks and plans ahead. The company has developed an energy efficiency program, which is constantly updated. We will continue to reduce emissions into the flare system, we will introduce soft starters and frequency control devices for electric motors, we will replace old equipment with more modern and efficient equipment, while maintaining its reliability,” Alexey Khramov shared after the award ceremony. Inspired by their achievements, oil refiners are ready for new challenges and accomplishments, confidently building a future in which ecology and efficiency go hand in hand.