The Vega Ploieşti Refinery celebrates today 120 years of operation
Vega represents an example of resilience in an industrial sector that, during the interbellum period, counted 46 refineries, and at the beginning of 1990, 10 refineries with a total capacity of around 30 million tons. Only in the last 35 years, 60% of Romania’s refineries have been shut down, and at the European level, the refining industry has seen a major decline, with around 30 refineries closed between 1995 and 2025.
The refinery will continue to represent a pillar of stability and professionalism, serving as a dedicated supplier of value-added products designed to support the development of several industrial sectors that depend on the products obtained in Vega.
“It is a remarkable achievement that Vega is on the energy map even today, and this is due to the industrial tradition of Ploieşti, to the people who have passed down, from generation to generation, the sense of belonging to the refining industry, but also to those who have managed the refinery, especially during key moments in its 120-year evolution – World Wars, the centralized regime, and the transition to a free market. Vega has a special, but not privileged status, and Rompetrol Rafinare will continue the refinery’s story with responsibility towards people, the community, the environment, and in line with the strategic objectives of the majority shareholder,” said Sorin Graure, General Manager of Rompetrol Rafinare.
On November 18, 1905, the first crude oil processing units began operating at Vega, and supply at that time was carried out using carts with raw materials – the crude oil used came from the Prahova region.
Later, crude oil reached the refinery by tank wagons, 46 of which were owned by the refinery, while another 250 served the refinery but were owned by the Petroleum Credit organization. Then, after significant investments for that era and out of the desire to increase supply efficiency, the refinery’s tanks were connected to three pipelines – one from the Buştenari–Recea area and two from the Moreni region.
In its early years of operation, the refinery had installations for crude oil processing, fuel oil distillation for oils, rectification of raw gasoline, and refining of kerosene and oils. In 1905, at startup, the refinery had 145 employees (a director, 6 engineers, 7 administrative clerks, 11 foremen, and 120 skilled workers and laborers).
In the first part of the 20th century, crude oil volumes were measured in wagons. According to official records, about 15,000 wagons were processed annually on average during 1905–1915. In total, in its first 30 years of operation, the Vega refinery processed approximately 830,000 tank wagons, and considering that one such wagon could transport on average 20 tons of crude oil, it results that over 16 million tons of raw materials reached Vega refinery between 1905 and 1935.
After massive re-technologization in the 1940s and 1950s, Vega achieved a constant processing rate of one million tons of raw materials per year until the early 1980s, when the annual average dropped to around 750,000 tons. The pace slowed significantly with the transition to the free market, and 1998 marked the historical minimum of 42,000 tons processed. A total for the period from 1957 to the first six months of 2025 shows over 42.5 million tons of raw materials processed.
Recovery came with the acquisition of the refinery by Rompetrol, completed in 1999, which in 2004 decided to completely discontinue crude oil processing and switch to a mix of semi-finished products supplied by Petromidia, which had also entered Rompetrol’s portfolio.
Since 2007, with Rompetrol’s transition under KMG International Group, Vega has undergone modernization and steadily increased production yields, reaching its peak in 2018, when it processed 406,000 tons of raw materials from Năvodari.
Vega is today the only bitumen producer in the country, supplying approximately 20% of Romania’s domestic demand, with the entire production directed to the internal market. The refinery can also produce polymer-modified bitumen, known for its high resistance to wear and temperature variations, and increased elasticity that can double its lifespan.
The refinery in northern Ploieşti is also the only domestic producer, and one of the largest in Europe, of hexane. The special solvent produced at the refinery fully meets Romania’s demand and also supplies a significant portion of the needs of other EU member states. Hexane is used in various industries, such as petrochemical and pharmaceutical, and in the food industry, it is used successfully as an extraction agent.
To these are added other products, such as solvents (white spirit), chemical gasoline (naphtha and light naphtha), and heating fuels (calor and light liquid fuel).
The Vega refinery is operated by Rompetrol Rafinare, the company that also manages Petromidia Năvodari, Romania's largest refinery.
The significant shareholders of Rompetrol Rafinare are KMG International (54.63% – direct and indirect) and the Romanian State, through the Ministry of Energy (44.7%).
10 key moments in the history of the Vega refinery
• On January 5, 1905, the Vega Ploieşti Company is founded, with Titu Maiorescu as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In the same year, the refinery’s installations start up, technological tests are successfully passed, and the foundations for beginning operations are laid. Initially, Vega had a capacity of about 200 thousand tons per year
• In 1919, Vega becomes the second largest refinery in the country, after Astra Română. At that time, 46 refineries were operating in Romania
• New installations built, such as the bitumen unit (1927), significantly increased Vega’s capacity, which in 1938 reached its peak development – a capacity of nearly 1.5 million tons per year and about 900 employees
• 1944 marks the most severe bombing in Romania’s history – Operation Tidal Wave, which targeted major refineries. Vega was affected in a 40–60% proportion
• In the mid-1950s, Vega is reconfigured and diversifies its production, becoming able to produce detergents, grease, and special bitumen
• In 1975, Vega is on the brink of closure, as the Communist Party planned to build a public park in the refinery’s place. The regime’s leaders were convinced to abandon the plans, and Vega became the main producer of catalysts used by other refineries in the country
• In 1997, the refinery is nearly closed again, for the second time in its history. At that time, the Romanian Government included Vega on a list of 16 companies targeted for liquidation. Once again, the refinery continued its path after several months of uncertainty
• The Vega refinery is purchased in 1999 by Rompetrol SA, the company that managed to double the financial indicators in just 9 months from acquisition. Rompetrol changed the business model, with the decisive shift in 2004, the year in which Vega stopped processing crude oil and focused strictly on producing value-added products: bitumen, hexane, etc.
• In 2007, the year Rompetrol was taken over by KMG International Group, Vega modernized its bitumen unit, and a few months later, the only polymer-modified bitumen unit ever built in Romania was constructed
• In 2019, Vega surpassed 400,000 tons processed, the following year set a new record in bitumen production (123 thousand tons), and in 2022, through investments in the Vacuum Distillation unit, increased yields from 60% to nearly 90%. This period reflects the new development stage achieved under KMG International
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