Mid-April Middle Eastern downstream update

Bahrain
Bahrain Petroleum Co. is increasing production at its state owned refinery after shutting units for maintenance. Production at the 267 000 bpd plant is expected to return to full capacity on April 12 as a hydrocracker resumes operation after scheduled maintenance. The maintenance work continued amid violent clashes in the island nation that led the government to impose a state of emergency and curfew.

Egypt
The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has raised its stake in the Egyptian Refining Company (ERC) from 15% to 24.2%, leaving the Arab Refining Company’s stake at 75.8%. This move will raise the public sector stake in a prospective oil refinery in Mostorod, north of Cairo, to 49.5%.

Iran
The development plan of Arak’s Shazand oil refinery is currently 93.5% complete, according to reports. A new unit is expected to come onstream by September 22.

The first phase of the project, with the capacity to produce 2 million ltrs/d of gasoline came on stream at the cost of US $3.5 billion in February.

Once the second phase of the Shazand oil refinery’s development plan is onstream by June 21, some 2.7 million ltrs/d will be added to the refinery’s gasoline production capacity. The new development plans are focused on reduction of sulfur and other pollutants in order to get Euro5 standard in production of petrol for cars.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/15042011/mid-april_middle_eastern_downstream_update/