Refinery and petrochemical construction projects abound

Angola

A refinery is due to be built in the Angolan province of Zaire in order to meet demand for oil derivatives in the domestic market, according to a statement from the government.

Iraq

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has signed an agreement for the construction of the Refinery of Karbala with Refinery of Karbala Corporation Ltd. The new refinery will have a daily capacity of 200 000 bpd of crude oil and will produce high quality, high octane gasoline (regular and premium) as well diesel fuel for the domestic market.

Iran

Construction has commenced on a petrochemical complex in Masjed Soleiman city in the Southwestern Khuzestan province. The plant is due to produce ammonia from the gas extracted from Zilayee gas field and will then produce urea from the ammonia. The announcement follows the inauguration of number of giant petrochemical projects in Khuzestan province in February.

Oman

Companies are vying for consideration as Oman Oil Refineries and Petrochemical Industries discuss awarding contracts for the Sohar refinery upgrade. The project aims to improve product quality, reduce emission levels, and boost output by almost 60%, from 116 400 bpd to over 187 700.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical Company plan to finalise the details of a joint venture in the next few weeks to build one of the world's largest petrochemicals complex in the country. The joint venture will give Dow access to cheap Saudi gas feedstock and proximity to customers in Asia, Africa and Europe.

The US$ 20 billion project, first announced in 2007, will come together by the end of July or early August, giving the green light for construction to begin. The complex’s proposed 32 process units will produce just under 8 million tpy of petrochemicals.

Taiwan

Kraton Performance Polymers and Formosa Petrochemical Corp. are planning to form a joint venture, with the aim of building a US$ 200 million styrenic block copolymer plant in Mailiao, Taiwan. The 30 000 tpy plant is due to be operational by the second half of 2013.

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