Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla has inspected the progress of work on the Assiut Petroleum Refining Company’s petrol production complex.
The complex, worth investments of $450m, is a vital project in the ministry’s refining and industrialisation strategy as part of the sustainable development plan for Egypt’s Vision 2030. The strategy aims to secure fuel supplies both for the local market and development plans for Upper Egypt.
El Molla emphasised the flexibility and clear planning that characterises the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ strategy with regard to refining and manufacturing. It is currently being implemented, and aims to increase domestic production of petrol and diesel to keep pace with the local market’s growing needs, and to serve sustainable development plans.
He pointed to the new complex’s importance as an addition to and one of the development projects as part of the Assiut refinery, raising its efficiency and increasing its production capacity.
The minister noted that the complex aims to produce 800,000 tonnes of all kinds of petrol, annually, and increase the production of butane to contribute to meeting Upper Egypt’s needs in terms of petroleum products.
The Assiut Refinery, which is the mainstay of petroleum products, currently provides between 60% and 65% of Upper Egypt’s needs.
During the inspection tour, a Supreme Committee for Petroleum Projects meeting reviewed the progress of works for the diesel hydro-cracking complex belonging to the Assiut National Oil Processing Company (ANOPC), whose investments amount to about $2.9bn.
During the meeting, El Molla confirmed that the ANOPC complex is the largest project to be implemented in Upper Egypt and contributes to covering the region’s needs in terms of petroleum products.
This will lead to a reduction in the volume of imports and avoiding the safety and environmental risks associated with transporting petroleum products to Upper Egypt through various means.
It also aims to maximise the benefit from state resources by using the latest technologies to refine petroleum using the hydro-cracking technology of low-value diesel to convert it into major high-value petroleum products needed by the local market. This is mainly diesel with European specifications and high-octane petrol.
The complex’s production capacity stands at 2.8 million tonnes per year of diesel according to European specifications, in addition to naphtha used in the production of high-octane petrol. There is an additional production capacity of 400,000 tonnes; alongside butane with an additional production capacity of 100,000; coal with a production capacity of 300,000 tonnes; and sulphur with a production capacity of 66,000 tonnes annually.
On the sidelines of the committee’s meeting, the minister discussed via video conference with Marco Villa, president of Italy’s Technip, and Francisco Cammarata, his deputy for business development, aspects of the company’s business as a general contractor for the project.
El Molla highlighted the fruitful cooperation between the two sides, and the company’s keenness to present distinguished business results in the joint petroleum projects that it wins in Egypt. The minister pointed out the importance of expediting the implementation of the project and continuous and direct communication to overcome any obstacles it may face.
