Egypt’s oil refining system is being linked into a unified network through the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) that will be managed online, Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Molla has announced.
Molla explained that the development of the refining system and the petrochemical industry began in 2016 through the overall vision of the program launched in conjunction with the implementation of the economic reform program.
Speaking at the meetings of the general assemblies of public sector oil companies, Molla indicated that this development is carried out in full integration between increasing and modernizing the capabilities of production units and applying management digital transformation.
He explained that this ensures the highest performance efficiency, which was positively reflected in the sustainability of the provision of petroleum products and petrochemicals for the local market.
He pointed out the vital role of the Amreya and Alexandria refineries and their contribution to providing the needs of the Alexandria and Lower Egypt region, stressing the importance of expanding the capacities of polyvinyl chloride factories.
For his part, chairman of Amreya Petroleum Refining Company Hossam Shawky said that more than 3.6 million tons of crude were refined.
He announced that the refinery produced 84,000 tons of butane, one million tons of mazut, 424,000 tons of 80-octane benzene, and about one million tons of diesel.
APRC further produced 47,000 tons of alkyl benzene, 21,000 tons of raw wax for export, 56,000 tons of unique petroleum products, in addition to quantities of toluene and medicinal oil, bringing the realized revenues to about EGP3.5 billion, and the investments implemented during the year amounted to about EGP450 million.
Meanwhile, the head of Alexandria Petroleum Company (APC), Mohamed Sobhi, explained that the quantities of crude refined through the company’s plant amounted to about 5.3 million tons, contributing to the provision of petroleum products worth about EGP79.7 billion.
It provided part of the local market’s needs for butane, naphtha, diesel, diesel, jet fuel and asphalt, wax distillates, and petroleum solvents, with a value of about EGP 48 billion.
Sobhi pointed out that about EGP5.3 billion in petroleum products were exported to Italy, Spain, France, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Lebanon, Morocco, and Nigeria.
He pointed out that investments of EGP1.2 billion have been pumped to replace and renew production units, asset and resource management, develop security and safety systems, and improve energy efficiency.
The chair of Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM), Ahmed Kamel, highlighted the successful implementation of the replacement and renewal programs and the comprehensive development of the company’s units and returned to operation in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.
Kamel noted that studies are underway to start the second phase to raise the production capacity of the PVC factory from 120,000 tons to 240,000 tons annually.
Production rates amounted to 25,000 tons of polyvinyl chloride, 29,000 tons of liquid caustic soda, and 5.4 thousand tons of hydrochloric acid. The sales value reached around EGP 1.9 billion.
