Iran on 24 June announced the start-up of a new 42,000 b/d hydrocracker at the 390,000 b/d-capacity Abadan refinery in Khuzestan province. The new unit comes as part of the ongoing upgrade of the century-old facility and follows the recent addition of a new 210,000 b/d CDU and 100,000 b/d VDU to reduce fuel oil yields from 40% to 20% (MEES, 24 March 2023). More secondary units will be installed over the coming months.
Oil Ministry media outlet Shana says the new unit will convert heavy ends to high-value products including LPG, naphtha and jet-fuel at Euro V specifications. Iran has again turned gasoline importer this year amid soaring demand (MEES, 12 April), with naphtha blended into the gasoline pool to boost volumes. Once all units are added, Abadan’s output will increase by 9mn liters/d (57,000 b/d) for gasoline and 4mn l/d (25,000 b/d) for diesel. (CONTINUED - 143 WORDS)