Egypt Locally Manufactures Salt Separators to Develop Oil Refineries

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla and heads of government oil companies during the meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla and heads of government oil companies during the meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Egypt Locally Manufactures Salt Separators to Develop Oil Refineries

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla and heads of government oil companies during the meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla and heads of government oil companies during the meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla has revealed that his country is intensifying efforts to increase reliance on local components in the development of oil refineries.

Petrojet company manufactures some of the main components that are installed in the production units in refineries such as salt separators, he added.

El-Molla stressed the significance of refineries in the country, specifically Alexandria which represents around 40 percent of the oil refineries across the country.

He made his remarks as he chaired through videoconference a meeting for several state-owned oil companies such as Alexandria Petroleum Company, Amreya Petroleum Refining Company, Egyptian Petrochemical Company, and Petroleum Pipelines Co.

Minister of Local Development Hisham Amna and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ahmed Samir, were also present.

El-Molla remarked that investments continue to be pumped to develop the national petroleum transportation network, which boosts Egypt’s role as a regional hub for energy trade. This role must go in parallel with a modern, safe, and strong network of high efficiency to transport oil products, he said.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Petroleum Pipelines Co. Fathi Mansour stated that the firm started the implementation of new transportation lines to transport oil and the expansion of two storage terminals with an investment value exceeding EGP6 billion.

Mansour added that new lines would extend over 600 km with an investment value surpassing EGP11 billion.



IMF Says Ready to Support Syria Reconstruction when Conditions Allow

A drone view shows al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, after Syria's Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A drone view shows al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, after Syria's Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
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IMF Says Ready to Support Syria Reconstruction when Conditions Allow

A drone view shows al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, after Syria's Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A drone view shows al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, after Syria's Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

The International Monetary Fund stands ready to assist Syria's reconstruction alongside the international community, but the situation on the ground remains fluid, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday.
Kozack told a regular press briefing that the IMF has had no meaningful contact with Syrian authorities since an economic consultation in 2009, Reuters reported.
"It's too early to make an economic assessment. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we stand ready to support the international community's efforts to assist serious reconstruction as needed and when conditions allow," Kozack said.
Less than two weeks after Syrian opposition fighters toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime and seized control of the capital Damascus, Kozack said that the emerging Syrian authorities face many difficulties after 13 years of civil war.
"The Syrian people have suffered for far too long. We hope that the country can now begin to address its deep humanitarian, social and economic challenges, and to begin the rehabilitation of the Syrian economy," Kozack said.

Kozack also said that the IMF Executive Board will meet on Friday to consider approval of a $1.1 billion disbursement to Ukraine from the IMF's $15.6 billion loan program to the war torn country.

The disbursement, part of the sixth review of the four-year Ukraine loan, would bring total program disbursements to $9.8 billion, with about $2.7 billion available for 2025, Kozack added.