Shafaq News / The Oil Ministry confirmed that a number of projects underway in the refinery sector will secure the country’s needs, revealing the suspension of its import of gasoline for the current month after it was able to prepare a large store of various derivatives.

The semi-official newspaper, Al-Sabah, quoted in its Sunday edition, the ministry’s undersecretary for refineries and gas affairs, Hamid Younis Al-Zobaie, saying that his ministry was keen, during the period of curfew, to continue to refine the crude oil rates at the same local refineries, estimated at 600 thousand barrels per day, to ensure the formation of a large warehouse of derivatives in Baghdad and governorates warehouses, despite the low demand for them.

The ministry also created this storage for the close summer season and the increase in demand for derivatives for electrical stations, in addition to increasing the demand for gasoline, noting that the preparation of the storage contributed greatly to reducing the volume of imports, stressing stopping the import of gasoline for the current month, which was daily eight to ten million liters, noting that his ministry may import the improved gasoline only if needed.

Al-Zobaie confirmed that the development and adding units to the refineries are continuing, as al- Doura refinery witnessed the addition of a unit to improve the quality of gasoline, indicating that it was supposed to be operated by specialists in the executing global company, but the spread of Corona pandemic prevented this, indicating that his ministry is awaiting for the lifting of air ban in order for the team to run it.

Al-Shuaiba refinery is currently witnessing the addition of a unit in addition to the process of building Fcc units to convert heavy oil into light products, he added.

About Al-Sumoud Refineries (Baiji), the Ministry’s Undersecretary for Refineries and Gas Affairs stated that the Salahuddin 1 refinery is currently operating normally and has a refining capacity of 70,000 barrels per day, and Salahuddin 2 refinery will start work at the end of this year, with the same refining capacity. As for the North Refinery, in which its capacity was 140,000 barrels per day, the Ministry's staff removes what has been destroyed from it to assess its condition and know the requirements for its rehabilitation, especially since the "ISIS" gangs destroyed a complex form that affected vital sites.