Iraq: Refinery launches fuel production to reduce the country's imports
Iraqi oil field (illustration image). A major producer of crude oil, the country depends on imports for half of its needs. REUTERS - Essam Al Sudani
Text by: RFI Follow
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In Iraq, a new refinery was inaugurated on Saturday, April 2, in Karbala, southwest of Baghdad. A project launched to reduce Iraq's dependence on fuel imports.
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With our correspondent in Iraq, Marie-Charlotte Roupie
The fifth largest oil reserve in the world, Iraq exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day. But when it comes to refined petroleum fuels, the country depends on imports for half of its needs.
The fourth largest refinery in the country
This new refinery inaugurated in Karbala, the fourth in the country, should therefore allow Iraq to be more autonomous to meet local demand for gasoline, kerosene and fuel oil. Eventually, the plant is expected to refine 140,000 barrels, or nine million liters of fuel produced per day, thus halving daily imports.
Significant challenges
This project, carried out by the South Korean company Hyundai, includes electricity production, part of which will be reserved for the national grid. Fuel and electricity are major challenges in the country where access to electricity in homes depends - in periods of extreme cold and heat - on expensive and polluting private generators.
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- Iraq
- Petroleum
- Energies
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