Delegates to CWC‘s Iraq Petroleum 2012 conference in London last week received an update on the country’s refining capacity and plans from H.E.. Dr Bayazeed Hassan Abdullah, MP, member of the Oil and Energy Committee of the Iraqi Parliament.
He said the twelve existing refineries have a combined capacity of up to 886,000 barrels per day:
• Baiji [Bayji, Beiji] Refinery in Salahadin (pictured), with a capacity of 310k bpd;
• Doura Refinery in Baghdad, 210k bpd;
• Basra Refinery, 140k bpd;
• Diwaniya Refinery, 20k bpd;
• Kasak Refinery in Ninewa, 10k bpd;
• Haditha Refinery in Anbar, 16k bpd;
• Six other small refineries (Kirkuk, Syniah-Baiji, Najaf, Samawa,Nasiriyah, Maysan), with a combined capacity of between 30k and 180k bpd.
However, these plants are running at an average of 65% of design capacity, or 565k bpd, and they produce too much heavy fuel oil; only Baiji, Doura and Basrah refineries produce gasoline. As a result, Iraq continues to import refined petroleum products.
Plans for modernizing and expanding these existing refineries to produce more and better quality fuels are already underway.
In addition, four new refineries with a total capacity of 740k bpd are planned and will open for private investment:
• Karbala refinery, 140k bpd;
• Kirkuk refinery, 150k bpd;
• Maysan refinery, 150k bpd;
• Nasiriyah refinery, 300k bpd.
There is also the possibility of a fifth new refinery with a capacity of 150k bpd in Ninewa, but the front-end engineering and design (FEED) has not yet been completed for this.
Oil and Gas consultant, and former Director General of the South Oil Company, Jabbar A. H. Allibi, presented the following data for the new facilities:
• Maysan, 150,000: Designed by Shaw Group of US. Tender expected in June;
• Kirkuk, 150,000: Designed by Shaw Group;
• Nassiriyah, 300,000: Designed by Foster Wheeler of US;
• Karbala, 200,000: Agreement signed with Refinery of Karbala Corporation. Italy’s Saipem providing engineering services;
• Karbala, 140,000: France’s Technip awarded design contract in 2009, but no decision has been made by the Oil Ministry;
• Mosul, 150,000: Agreement signed with Egypt’s Citadel Capital;
• Dhi-Qar, 50,000: Feasibility studies by Oil Ministry;
• Kirkuk, 50,000: Feasibility studies by Oil Ministry;
• Maysan, 50,000: Feasibility Studies by Oil Ministry.
IBN
27 June
