Petrohemija: 15 Million Euro Overhaul Starts September 21
From September 21 to November 18, HIP-Petrohemija is running a capital overhaul worth about 15 million euros, covering 28 projects and roughly 620 outside contractors.
HIP-Petrohemija is carrying out a capital overhaul worth about 15 million euros, running from September 21 to November 18, 2026, the company announced on September 18. Only three days separate the announcement from the start of work in Pancevo, since the overhaul begins already on Monday, September 21.
What the overhaul actually covers
Production at the plants in Pancevo stops on Monday, September 21. The synthetic rubber plant in Elemir shuts down nine days later, on September 30. Both facilities are set to restart on November 18, which puts the total downtime at about two months.
The overhaul includes 28 separate projects. The focus is on two high pressure steam boilers at the Ethylene plant and on rebuilding the steel structures in the synthetic rubber finishing building in Elemir. Alongside that, the plan includes equipment inspections and cleaning, as well as work to bring facilities in line with environmental regulations.
Besides its own staff, Petrohemija will bring in roughly 620 workers from outside contractors for the job. That figure puts the 15 million euro investment in context: this is a large scale undertaking that goes well beyond routine equipment servicing and requires outside labor on a scale comparable to a sizable share of the plant’s own permanent workforce.
The company says it has secured stockpiles of petrochemical products, so the production halt should not disrupt supply to the market. That is a standard measure ahead of any planned overhaul of this size, since buyers of petrochemical raw materials typically arrange deliveries in advance and are not affected by a one-time stoppage at a single producer.
The flare and the noise are part of the procedure, not a malfunction
While the plants are shutting down and restarting, occasional flaring and higher noise levels are possible. The company describes this as a standard part of shutting down and starting up a petrochemical system, not as an unusual event. Residents of Pancevo and Elemir can therefore expect occasional flames above the plants over the next two months without it signaling an incident.
Why the overhaul matters for the whole NIS complex
Petrohemija is technically and technologically linked to the Pancevo Oil Refinery, so its operation sits in the same production chain as crude oil processing. Because of that, the company ties Petrohemija’s reliability to the entire NIS processing complex, not just to its own output: a stoppage or breakdown in one link of that chain is usually felt in the neighboring plants as well.
Two months of planned downtime across two plants, backed by hundreds of outside contractors and a 15 million euro investment, falls into the category of scheduled work rather than an emergency intervention. Overhauls like this recur periodically in the petrochemical industry precisely to avoid unplanned stoppages, which usually cost more and are harder to predict.
Until now, updates on Petrohemija’s operations have mostly come through NIS’s regular statements on production and investment, without precise shutdown dates for individual plants. This time the company published the exact schedule, the scope of the work, and the number of contractors involved well in advance, which makes planning easier for both suppliers and buyers of petrochemical products while the overhaul is underway. For companies that work with Petrohemija, that means deliveries and capacity can be lined up in advance for the entire period of the work, from September 21 to November 18.
