(Seoul=NSP News Agency) YEON SUN HAN Journalist = SK Energy completed the construction of vacuum residue desulfurization (VRDS) facilities on January 31.

Since announcing the launch of a KRW 1 trillion worth of VRDS facilities in November 2017, the construction began in January of the following year and completed a 25-month big run.

VRDS will begin commercial production as early as March. When VRDS is fully operational, 40,000 barrels of low sulfur oil will be produced and supplied daily, and an operating profit increase of 2 to 3 billion won is expected every year.

VRDS is an eco-friendly facility that SK Energy decided to invest 1 trillion won to build in 2017 to respond to IMO 2020, which has been implemented from this year. It responded preemptively to changes in the shipping oil market three years later.

Jo Kyung-mok, president of SK Energy, said, “The low-sulfur oil market will begin to improve in earnest from the second quarter when stockpiling stocks are exhausted.” “SK Energy will continue to innovate eco-friendly business models, including the early commercial operation of VRDS.”