Baiji Refinery will provide millions of liters of petroleum products to the Iraqi market (Iraqi News Agency)
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani said in a statement today, Friday, that Iraq reopened the Al-Shamal refinery in Baiji after rehabilitating it, after it was closed for more than 10 years.
The refinery was closed in 2014 when it was seized by ISIS militants after they controlled large areas of the country, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The refinery's capacity is 150,000 barrels per day after its restart.
ISIS had sufficient control over the Baiji region, seizing its refined products.
The organization sold the products to neighboring countries and used the money to support its business.
The refining capacity of the Baiji refinery was 280 and 300 thousand barrels per day before it was vandalized, according to what the Iraqi Ministry of Energy reported earlier.
Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said last October that completing the rehabilitation and reconstruction operations for the Baiji refinery will provide millions of liters of petroleum products for the local market, according to what was reported by the Iraqi News Agency.
Iraq ranks fifth with a production of 4.27 million barrels per day, according to OPEC data, and it is the second largest producer in the organization after Saudi Arabia.
With proven reserves of 145 billion barrels, Iraq has the ability to increase production further, but it is limited by infrastructure and export obstacles.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies