Syrian Refineries On-track to Meet Petroleum Demand

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Syrian petroleum sector is implementing plans this year to help Syria meet domestic requirements for petroleum products through Syria's operational refineries, which have an average combined capacity of between 230,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) and 240,000 BBL/d.

The Homs refinery's production plan for the first quarter of 2010 was to refine 110,000 BBL/d. The refinery achieved an average of 117,000 BBL/d, representing 106% of its target.

In the first quarter, the Banias refinery refined 132,000 BBL/d, compared to a target of 135,000 BBL/d. The total sales of the refinery were 12.8 million barrels, compared to a target of 13.54 million barrels.

In November 2009, Syria's petroleum minister Sufian Alalao announced a shareholding agreement signed between Syria, Venezuela, Iran and Malaysia to build a 140,000 BBL/d refinery near Homs with an expected cost of about $3.12 billion.

In February 2010, Noureddine Makhlouf, director general of the General Corporation for Oil Refining in Syria, said that it has so far completed a number of basic and preliminary steps for the construction of the Alfrqls refinery in Homs.

In April, Alalao announced the cancellation of a $1.7 billion, 140,000-BBL/d refinery in the Der Ezzor area.

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