Russia’s Gazpromneft-Lubricants plans to nearly double its lubricant output from 260,000 tons per year (tpy) to 460,000 tpy within four years, CEO Alexander Trukhan said. Trukhan said that it’s even possible that production could reach as high as 500,000 tpy by then. The company has built a lube blending plant at the Omsk Oil Refinery to produce hydraulic, compressor and gearbox lubricant, he said. “All this has allowed us to produce 9% more in the first half,” he said. The company plans to launch a new production, blending and packaging line by the first quarter of 2012, or as early as December 2011, at the Omsk refinery. Founded in 2007, Gazpromneft-Lubricants operates production assets in the Russian cities of Omsk and Yaroslavl, as well as in the southern Italian city of Bari. (October 3, 2011)