Iraq’s 140,000 b/d Karbala refinery was meant to help reduce the country’s hefty import bill this summer. But just as it was supposed to ramp up, severe technical difficulties saw the plant taken offline in June (MEES, 9 June). The facility has since been brought back online, but throughputs remain well below capacity and gasoline production has yet to begin.
MP Ali Shaddad, a member of the parliamentary oil and gas committee, told Basra’s al-Mirbad radio on 27 July that Karbala is operating at “60-64% of its 140,000 b/d design capacity,” with current ‘gasoline pool’ output consisting solely of 3mn litres/day (19,000 b/d) of light and heavy naphtha. Mr Shaddad says Karbala’s single CDU is processing “up to 90,000 b/d” of crude oil. Refinery owner Midlands Refining Company (MRC) maintained on 31 July that “100% production capacity” will be reached “very soon.” (CONTINUED - 948 WORDS)
