Page 9 - DMEA Week 48 2021

DMEA REFINING DMEA

Expanded BAPCO launch pushed back

MIDDLE EAST STATE-OWNED Bahrain Petroleum Co. provide supply its Resid Hydrocracking catalyst
(BAPCO) does not expect to launch its upgraded technology “for a wide variety of feedstocks to
and expanded refining complex at Sitrah before maximise bottom-of-the-barrel upgrading”.
2024, following a $7bn overhaul programme At the time, BAPCO chairman and CEO Dr.
that will increase the facility’s capacity by around Dawood Nassif said: “Our new hydrocracking
42%. unit will convert 78% of the vacuum residue
Speaking to S&P Global Platts this week, feed into intermediate products, which will then
Mark Thomas, CEO of state energy investment be further processed into high margin kerosene
firm nogaholding, said the completion of the and diesel.”
BAPCO Modernisation Project (BMP) had been He added: “A key component is catalyst per-
pushed back because of labour shortages owing formance and management, and the unique
to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. agreement signed with ART, who will be respon-
In May, Bahrain’s Oil Minister Mohammed sible for the total supply chain of catalyst from
bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said that the BMP should cradle to cradle.”
be completed within the next 18 months. It will also enable BAPCO to diversify its sup-
With completion initially envisioned in 2023, ply of feedstock, potentially providing savings
the BMP is designed to increase the refinery’s from the purchase of heavier crude grades as well
capacity from 267,000 barrels per day to 380,000 as processing heavier streams from increased
bpd while also improving its ability to handle domestic upstream output.
heavier crude grades and generate greater value The $4.2bn main engineering, procurement
from crude feedstock. and construction (EPC) contract on the BMP
Thomas said: “It is a significant upgrade in project was awarded to a consortium of Lon-
terms of throughput but more importantly, don-listed TechnipFMC, South Korea’s Samsung
it gives us flexibility to be able to take a vari- Engineering and Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas.
ety of crudes, not just nice light Arab Medium Meanwhile, the oil minister also previously
and Arab Light crude; we can also take heavier spoke of ongoing talks with international com-
crudes.” panies for the development of a $2bn petro-
For this, it awarded a five-year full-cycle cata- chemical plant that will be fed by naphtha from
lyst management (FCM) contract worth $240mn BAPCO. Thomas noted that an aromatics project
to Advanced Refining Technologies (ART) in could be “interesting”, adding that if it were to go
August. Under the deal, ART, a joint venture ahead, it could produce around 100,000 tonnes
between W. R. Grace & Co. and Chevron, will per year (tpy) of grey hydrogen for export.™

Week 48 02•December•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P9