Neste Oil is adding NEXBASE® 3030, a light viscosity grade, to the line-up of high-quality base stocks available to its US customers. With the addition of NEXBASE® 3030, which is stored at the company’s terminal in the Port of Houston, Neste Oil will now offer a wide range of viscosity grades, from 3cSt to 8cSt, in the US, specifically NEXBASE® 3030 (3 cSt), 3043 (4.3 cSt), 3060 (6 cSt) and 3080 (8 cSt), providing formulators and blenders of top-tier lubricants with the maximum amount of flexibility across a variety of applications.

NEXBASE® 3030 is an isoalkane cut, isolated from the light end of the NEXBASE® Group III base oil production process, and is both aromatics- and sulfur-free. Classified as a process oil and with a high flash point, good cold properties, and low VOC content, it is very useful in applications ranging from metal-working fluids and transformer oils to highly demanding driveline fluids.

"Due to increasing fuel economy targets, the driveline market is towards lower-viscosity fluids requiring higher-performing base oils,” says Virpi Amoedo, Vice President, Base Oils, "NEXBASE® 3030 is an excellent base stock for today’s driveline market and enables formulators to meet the tightening Brookfield viscosity targets for licensed OEM specifications.”

Neste Oil produces 250,000 metric t/a (5,000 bpd) VHVI, Group III base oils in Porvoo, Finland. Neste Oil also produces Group III lube base oil at its joint venture refinery with the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and nogaholding (Oil and Gas Holding Company) in Sitrah, on the east coast of Bahrain. The plant has a base oil production capacity of approximately 400,000 metric t/a (8,000 bpd). Neste Oil owns 45% of the joint venture, while BAPCO and OGHC own 27.5% each.

Neste Oil also has a minority interest in a joint venture with Takreer, a subsidiary of ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.), with a plant to produce Group III base oil at Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. The facility, wholly owned by ADNOC, will be capable of producing 500,000 metric tons per year of Group III base oils as well as 100,000 t/y of Group II base oils that is scheduled to come on stream later this year.

In addition to the viscosity grades of NEXBASE® lube base oils mentioned above, Neste Oil also produces NEXBASE® 3020 (2 cSt) and NEXBASE® 3050 (5 cSt) at its refinery in Porvoo, also producing NEXBASE® 3000 Group III lube base oil in Bahrain.

As an independent top-tier base oil supplier, Neste Oil offers optimized technical solutions for the global lubricant manufacturing industry. Neste Oil takes an active role in developing future lubricant formulations; and its extensive portfolio of NEXBASE® formulations has been developed to meet the most demanding OEM requirements and a wide range of customer needs.

In addition to lube base oils, Neste Oil produces a comprehensive range of other major petroleum products and is the world's leading supplier of renewable diesel. The company had net sales of EUR 17.9 (US$23.3) billion in 2012 and employs around 5,000 people.