Egypt’s Qalaa Holdings, lead investor in the delayed 4.28mn t/y (81,500 b/d) Egypt Refining Company (ERC) hydrocracker at Musturud, near Cairo, announced on 16 May that it is “working to complete all trial operations and begin commercial production by the beginning of 3Q19.”
The company says it has so far supplied state oil firm EGPC with about 160,000 tons of low sulfur diesel, naphtha and high octane gasoline, having begun trial operations in late February (MEES, 5 April). Units to have been “successfully commissioned” include the Diesel, Naphtha hydro-treater and Reformer units, “while the plant’s Continuous Catalyst Regeneration and Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU) became operational in early April.” As of 16 May, Qalaa says construction was 99.94% complete, and commissioning 73.7% complete. (CONTINUED - 323 WORDS)