Axens wins contract to support refinery upgrading project in Iraq

The upgrade project is intended to increase the Basrah refinery’s gasoline and diesel fuel production capacity and reduce the gap in supply and demand for petroleum products.

The upgrade project involves installation of new refining units adjacent to the existing refinery facility.

The project is aimed at increasing the total processing capacity at the site from 210,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 280,000bpd.

Axens will deliver technologies required for the new units including diesel hydrotreatment unit; a vacuum gas oil (VGO) hydrotreating unit; a VGO fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) unit; and an oligomerization unit at the refinery.

Axens process licensing conversion & clean fuels business line director Jacques Rault said: “The Basrah refinery is expanding its operations by increasing its gasoline and diesel production while improving the fuels quality.

“This will help to solve one of the main challenges to lower national petroleum products imports revitalising the Iraqi refining sector damaged by war and deterioration.”

Axens will also be responsible for providing proprietary equipment, trainings and technical services.

South Refineries Company FCC project manager Ibraheem Al-Salihi said: “The Iraqi Ministry of Oil and the Southern Refineries Company with the support of the Japanese government represented by the JICA Organization are doing great work to complete the Basrah Refinery Development / FCC Project by adopting the latest technologies and designs provided by Axens.”

JGC is serving as the EPC contractor for the Basrah Upgrading Project, which is expected to help reduce the country’s dependency on imported petrochemical products.