Lanzhou Petrochemical Kicks off Construction Preparation for First Refinery in Niger

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Lanzhou Petrochemical Construction Company Limited (Lanzhou, Gansu), a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) (Beijing), has officially kicked off construction preparation, including the setup of a pre-stage preparation unit that will carry out construction design and personnel recruitment for the Zinder Oil Refining Project, the first refinery in Niger, according to a conference discussing the preparation of the project that was held on March 17, 2009.

The Zinder Oil Refining project, located about 950 kilometers east of Niger's capital Niamey in Ganaram, will have the capacity to refine 20,000 barrels of oil per day, which is far beyond the country's current consumption of about 7,000 barrels per day. The project will take three years to build, and is scheduled to begin operating in June 2011. Upon completion, the project will be the first large refinery in Niger and the fourth refinery built by a Chinese enterprise in Africa.

CNPC entered into a $5 billion deal with Niger's government in June 2008, which aimed to pump oil from the Agadem block within three years and build a 2,000-kilometer pipeline to export oil to neighboring countries. The cornerstone-laying ceremony for the project was held in the presence of Niger's President Mamadou Tandja, Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou, Chinese Ambassador Chen Gonglai as well as other senior officers on October 27, 2008.

According to the contract, Lanzhou Petrochemical will mainly be responsible for the 2,000-barrel-per-day catalyzed reforming device, the 6,000-barrel-per-day diesel hydrogenation combined refining device, the 3,000-cubic-meter-per-hour hydrogen purification device, as well as common support facilities for the project.

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the project, Lanzhou Petrochemical has established a project management department to be responsible for the pre-stage preparations such as labor force deployment, tools preparation, personnel training and logistics services.

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