Iraq inaugurated an oil refinery in the central city of Karbala on Saturday, a project the government hopes will reduce its dependency on imports. Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani announced the refinery had begun “commercial production” after an opening ceremony led by the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
It has the capacity to refine 140,000 barrels per day and “help meet local demand for petrol, kerosene and heating oil, while reducing imports”, Abdel Ghani said.
The minister said the refinery, built by South Korean firm Hyundai, can produce nine million litres of fuel a day — equivalent to more than half Iraq’s daily imports of 15 million litres.
The refinery also has the capacity to produce 200 megawatts of electricity and “60 megawatts of them will be allocated to the national grid”, Abdel Ghani added.
Iraq, the second largest producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of oil per day.
