Shell has announced an investment in a construction of a new Solvent De-asphalter (SDA) unit at the Pernis refinery in Rotterdam, designed to upgrade its oil products by removing heavier fractions from crude oil, and making them cleaner, PennEnergy reported.

The SDA unit is not envisaged to expand refinery’s total processing capacity of 404,000b/d, but it will reduce the environmental footprint of its products, Energy Global wrote.

Shell’s upgrade plans came after its rival ExxonMobil had announced a $1b investment in hydrocracker operations at its own Rotterdam-based refinery, giving it the capacity to make more high-performance lubricating oils and greases, Reuters reported.

The construction is expected to start in 2016, and last for 2 years.