Assiut $3 bln diesel production complex almost finished
The project was established at an investment cost of $3 billion as one of the most important national projects, which will help meet Upper Egypt's demand for petroleum products especially high-quality diesel and decrease imports.
The statement added that the Assiut refinery supplies 70 percent of Upper Egypt's petroleum consumption needs. The high-octane gasoline complex, the refinery's most recent production complex opened by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in 2021, supplies Upper Egypt's governorates with approximately 800,000 tons of gasoline annually. This decreases the risks and costs of transferring gasoline via trucks from the country's north to its south.
Assiut Oil Refining Company (ASORC) Chairman Maged El-Kordy highlighted the refinery's role in supplying petrol substances to Upper Egypt utilizing its three production complexes, which include two distillation complexes with a refining power of 4.5 million tons annually and the high octane gasoline complex.
El-Kordy pointed out that increased mazut production in 2023 contributed to meeting the power plants' needs, adding that the third distillation complex is currently under construction to raise the refining power to 9.5 million tons annually.
The progress of this project, which includes a unit for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) production, has reached 33 percent.
“The refinery is characterized by not disposing of the output of its operations as it encompasses a unit for treating industrial wastewater and reusing it in aggregating 80 acres of the Jojoba plant, which is being planted to achieve environmental balance,” stated El-Kordy.
Additionally, he noted that current efforts are focused on establishing a solar power plant with an electricity production capacity of 10 Megawatts through a grant from the European Union (EU), with the architectural design currently being developed by Enbi and Petrojet.
In June, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that Egypt had contracted for mazut and natural gas shipments worth $1.18 billion to stop the load-shedding programme implemented in July 2023 to combat the gas shortage crisis.
In July, the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) announced the arrival of five shipments out of the 21 contracted liquified natural gas shipments to supply the fuel needed for power plants.