Karbala Refinery begins Trial Ops

By John Lee.

The Minister of Oil has announced the commencement of crude oil supplies to Karbala refinery for the start of its trial operation.

Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail said that the refinery has a capacity of 140,000 barrels per day (bpd) and will help partially in meeting local needs and reducing imports of refined fuel.

He also praised the efforts of all involved, including the consortium of Korean companies and all the parties who supported the project.

Regular production is due to start by the end of the year.

In 2014, a group of companies led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction won the $6.04-billion contract to build the new refinery. The joint venture, HDGSK, also involved GS Engineering & Construction, and SK Engineering & Construction.

French company Technip provided project management consultancy (PMC) services for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

The post Karbala Refinery begins Trial Ops first appeared on Iraq Business News.

CITIC Construction Wins $3.7bn Iraq Power Deal

By John Lee.

China’s CITIC Construction has won the bid for the first and second phases of AI Khairat heavy oil power plant in Iraq.

Yang Jianqiang, Deputy President of CITIC Construction, held talks with Mazin Wajih, Chairman of Harlow International, in Dubai representative office, and received the letter of acceptance issued by Mazin Wajih.

It is estimated that the contract value of each phase of the project is about $2.85 billion.

The AI Khairat heavy oil power plant is located in Karbala Province in south-central Iraq, about 100km away from Baghdad, next to the Karbala refinery, which provides its by-product heavy oil for the power plant as fuel.

The total installed capacity of the project consists of 8 power generating units of 400MW each, of which 4 units will be constructed in each phase and put into operation in batches.

As the EPC general contractor of the project, CITIC Construction will be responsible for designing, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning and operation and maintenance of the project for a period of ten years, and assist in financing on the premise that the owner is guaranteed by the Iraqi government.

Wining the bid has made CITIC Construction see another major breakthrough in electric energy market of Iraq following the project of Maisan combined cycle power plant. After the completion of the project, it will become an energy hub around the capital, which will provide power for the reconstruction of Iraq’s post-war industry, help ease the power shortage of residents in central and southern Iraq, improve people’s livelihood and safeguard social stability.

(Source: CITIC)

The post CITIC Construction Wins $3.7bn Iraq Power Deal first appeared on Iraq Business News.

Rotork to supply Karbala Refinery Project

By John Lee.

British-based engineering company Rotork is to supply the Karbala Refinery project in Iraq.

According to a press release from the company, Rotork will provide large quantities of IQ3 non-intrusive intelligent electric valve actuators, designed specifically for automated flow control systems in hazardous environments.

Due to open in 2020, the State Company of Oil Projects’ (SCOP) Karbala Refinery will have a refining capacity of 140,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd). Production will meet the latest international standards, serving the growing domestic demand for oil in Iraq and reducing the current level of refined product imports.

(Source: Rotork)