Mostorod's refinery to start operations in 2018

CAIRO - 1 January 2018: "Cairo Oil Refining Company's new project in Mostorod district in eastern Cairo will enter operations in 2018, aiming to refine fuel oil and transform it into diesel and jet fuel," Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Molla said in a Monday statement.

Stating the developments in the petrochemicals sector in 2018, Molla explained that the second phase of expanding the Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR) will also start this year to increase the production capacity.

Listing the achievements in that regard, Molla said that the Ministry of Petroleum opened nine new projects in 2017 to secure Egypt’s needs of gasoline, diesel and butane gas through increasing production capacity of petrochemical and refining projects.

The first phase of MIDOR was concluded to increase production capacity of high-octane gasoline, diesel, butane, jet fuel, coal and sulfur by 15 percent, a Sunday report released by the ministry showed.

Several projects have started their trial operations in 2017 such as butane and naphtha units at Assiut Oil Refinery Company (ASORC), a new storage unit at Misr Petroleum warehouses, and a $415 million maritime pier at AinSokhna owned by the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company (SUMED).

Developing the petrochemical industry will result in an improvement in plastics industry, fibers industry and other related industries.

By 2020, Egypt plans to produce more than three million tons of chemical products, under a 20-year national plan, which involves a range of products from ethylene and polyethylene to olefins and aromatics.