Baghdad – IA – Nassar Al-Hajj
Today, Saturday, the Ministry of Oil announced a strategic project that is the first of its kind in Iraq, and while it confirmed the government’s keenness to reach self-sufficiency in national production and export the surplus, it revealed promising investment refinery projects in the north, south, and center that will be announced later.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Oil, Asim Jihad, told the (INA), that “there is a major development in terms of production processes and the division of fuel quality,” stressing that “the government and the ministry are keen to increase national production from Iraqi refineries and reach self-sufficiency and then Export its surplus outside the country.
Jihad added, “Iraq is currently exporting quantities of liquid gas and some chemical compounds in excess of its need,” noting that “the entry of the Karbala refinery into production contributed greatly to increasing the national production of petroleum derivatives, improving the quality of the product in accordance with European specifications, and entering 140,000 barrels as refining capacity.” per day, reducing the imported portion and meeting local needs.”
He pointed out that “the previous short period witnessed the entry of a production unit into the southern refineries with a capacity of 70,000 barrels of refining capacity per day, which contributed to raising the production capacity there to 280,000 barrels per day, and work is underway in the same refinery to open a refinery unit that contributes to improving the quality of Petroleum products.
He pointed out, “Work is also underway on the (FCC) project, which is the first of its kind in Iraq, in cooperation with a Japanese company, with a capacity of 55 thousand barrels, equivalent to several times the production of old refineries, as it refines oil waste and turns it into high-quality oil products.” He stressed that “the project is one of the important strategic projects in which the Ministry has made important strides.”
Regarding the Al-Samoud refineries in Baiji, Jihad said, “The refineries consist of Salah al-Din Refinery 1 with a capacity of 71,000 barrels, and Salah al-Din Refinery 2 with a capacity of 70,000 barrels. During the last period, the national effort was able to rehabilitate and reconstruct these refineries after the sabotage operations that affected them in In 2014, in addition to the start of experimental work for the North Refinery, which is also among the Al-Samoud refineries in Baiji, with a capacity of 150 thousand barrels, which it is hoped will be opened during the coming period.”
He stated, “The refinery will represent an addition to the refining industry and national production, and will help add new quantities that cover the needs of citizens, electric power plants, and other things,” pointing out, “Iraq was forced to import derivatives due to the destruction caused by terrorism in the northern refineries.” Therefore, its rehabilitation and opening will contribute to increasing the national production of petroleum derivatives in order to meet the local need and gradually shift to exporting the surplus outside Iraq.”
He noted, “Iraq seeks, through the investment opportunities that have been announced and will be announced in the future, to establish investment refineries in the north, south, and center,” stressing that “there are promising projects in this context that will be announced at the right time.”
He continued, “One of the most important projects that the Ministry is working on is the Al-Faw refinery near Iraq’s export ports,” pointing out that “the implementation of investment refinery projects and the completion of the production operations of the Karbala refinery and Baiji refineries and promising projects in the south, in addition to the development of small refineries in some Governorates, all of which will contribute to developing and increasing production of the refining industry sector in Iraq.”