Work to upgrade facilities at Iraq's 210,000 b/d Basra refinery has been finished and commercial operations are expected to begin in December, after the completion of construction work that was financially supported by Japan's state-owned Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica).
The upgrade will lift the refinery's capacity for oil products such as gasoline and gasoil to 160,000 b/d from 60,000 b/d, Jica said on 29 October. The firm, which invested ¥570.3bn ($3.7bn) in the project, held a completion ceremony along with the Iraqi government and the Japanese embassy in Iraq on 25 October.
The upgrades include the construction of a 34,500 b/d fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, a 55,000 b/d vacuum distillation unit and a 40,000 b/d gasoil desulphurisation unit, according to data from Japanese engineering company JGC, which was involved in the upgrading works.
JGC was in charge of engineering, procurement and construction, as well as trial operations at the upgraded refinery. JGC will continue its involvement in the Basra refinery's operations until December 2026 through a technical transfer service contract, which provides operational technology to Iraq's state-owned South Refineries.
Jica aims to accelerate Iraq's reconstruction through its official development assistance scheme by securing stable domestic oil product manufacturing and reducing the gap between demand and supply within the country.
