Oil Minister: Establishing high-octane gasoline complex in Assiut at dlrs 450 mn

CAIRO, Jan 23 (MENA) - Minister of Petroleum Tarek el Mulla inspected on Wednesday the project site of a high-octane gasoline complex in Gahdem area in Assiut governorate, Upper Egypt.

The minister was accompanied by Assiut Governor Gamal Nour Eldin.

The fuel complex project, which also comprises a storage and shipping depot for various oil products, is being carried out by Assiut Oil Refining Company (ASORC), a subsidiary of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) which was established in October 1984 to meet upper Egypt's needs of petroleum products.

In a statement released by the Oil Ministry, the minister explained that the visit comes as part of a series of field tours he conducts to check on progress in the implementation of fuel production projects on the ground.

The minister's tour started by inspecting the complex's construction works which are carried out by Enppi and Petrojet companies at a total investment cost of dlrs 450 million and an estimated production capacity of 660,000 tons annually.

Meanwhile, Head of ASORC Mahmoud el Shabouri said the project aims at maximizing the use of petroleum naphtha to be turned into high-heating value gasoline of various types (80,92,95) as well as producing amounts of butane to meet the growing needs of Upper Egypt governorates and reduce the risks of transporting oil products from the northern parts of the country to the South.

Mulla also explained that the Oil Ministry is currently working on an integrated plan to renovate the infrastructure of storage and handling of oil products, adding that the storage facility's investments are to hit EGP 120 million and its units are to be operated electronically in accordance with the highest international safety standards.

The minister made it clear that the Oil Ministry's plans comply with the state's strategy of digital transformation.