Iraq launches projects to raise oil refining capacity

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Oil is carrying out several strategic development projects to raise the refining capacity of national refineries and meet growing domestic demand.

In a statement to the state-run newspaper al-Sabah, the spokesperson for the Oil Ministry, Salim al-Rikabi, confirmed that the government will continue to make efforts to improve local output in the coming months.

Al-Rikabi explained that the projects currently under construction include major refineries in the provinces of Diwaniyah, Maysan, Najaf, and Anbar.

These new refining projects will immediately help to supply the local market with petroleum products, according to al-Rikabi.

The Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) project at Basra Refinery has made tremendous progress by producing between four and five million liters of enhanced gasoline per day, therefore boosting supply stability and lowering the need for imports.

Additionally, newly developed refineries throughout Iraq, which currently run at full capacity, positioned the country as a producer of high-quality oil derivatives. They helped meet Iraqi consumers’ requirements for gasoline, kerosene, and gas oil.

Several initiatives have helped establish Iraq as one of the countries producing high-quality oil derivatives that fulfill Euro 5 requirements.