Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, conducted a field visit to the Suez governorate’s refineries of Suez Oil Processing Company (SOPC) and Nasr Petroleum Company (NPC) to follow up on the implementation rates of new projects that aim to increase the production of high-value petroleum products.
At SOPC, Hesham Fathy, the company’s chairman, briefed Badawi on the current status of the Coking and Diesel Production Complex, designed to process 1.75 million tons per year (mmt/y) of diesel into high-value petroleum products that contribute to reducing imports and bridging the gap in local consumption. The project is executed by Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (ENPPI) and Petroleum Projects and Technical Consultations Co. The implementation rate has reached 60% so far.
Badawi affirmed that reducing the fuel import bill and boosting local production are top priorities for the Ministry, pointing out Coking and Diesel Production Complex as one of the most important projects to achieve this goal.
Besides, the company implemented 73% of a new industrial wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 48,000 cubic meters per day to protect the marine environment in the Gulf of Suez
During his visit to NPC, Badawi checked the developments in its new Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) to add 340,000 (t/y) of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other high-value product with EGP 1.1 billion in investments.NPC has already started trial operations of the unit
The company has also raised the capacity of its condensate distillation project by 1.2 million tons per year (mt/y) of high-value products.
NPC is advancing safety and environmental projects, including a seawater desalination unit with a capacity of 6,000 cubic meters per day (cm/d) for use in industrial operations to preserve water resources. It also has an industrial wastewater treatment project with a capacity of 700 cubic meters per hour (cm/hr).
Moreover, the company is constructing a solar power plant with a capacity of 1.2 megawatts (MW).
In a meeting with the company leaders, Minister Badawi stressed the importance of adhering to the highest safety standards across all sector activities and instructed petroleum company leaders to conduct a comprehensive review of safety systems to protect human capital, the sector’s true wealth, and to tighten work mechanisms with contractors in all activities, especially in the transportation and distribution of petroleum products.
The Minister further emphasized the need to adopt advanced equipment and modern technologies to regulate the transport system and take measures to prevent road accidents.
The company is upgrading its safety system, including new fire alarms and automatic extinguishing systems covering the entire company, alongside studies on process safety systems.