KARACHI: Attock Refinery Limited, a subsidiary of the Attock Oil Company Limited, announced plans to build a new 50,000-barrel-per-day deep-conversion refinery and upgrade its existing plants to meet Euro-V fuel specifications, according to its annual report released Monday.
The company, a key player in Pakistan's downstream petroleum sector, said the new refinery would be installed "if sustainable enhanced supplies of local crude from the North become available and necessary support is received from the government side."
ATRL said one of its biggest challenges is upgrading its plants to meet Euro-V standards. It has prepared a strategic plan for expansion aimed at improving product specifications.
Under the planned projects, a Continuous Catalyst Regeneration unit will be set up to increase premium motor gasoline production and improve the PMG pool octane rating to meet Euro-V specifications, while eliminating the use of octane-boosting additives and naphtha exports, the company said.
A revamp of the Diesel Hydro Desulphurization unit is also expected to reduce high-speed diesel sulphur content to 10 parts per million.
ARL said it has completed Licensor Front End Engineering Design studies for the addition of the CCR unit and the revamp of the DHDS unit under its planned upgradation project, at an estimated cost of about $600 million.
The contract for Project FEED and Project Management Consultancy services was awarded to Studi Technologie Progetti SpA of Italy, the report said. Transmittals relating to FEED are currently being exchanged with STP, covering deliverables across multiple disciplines including management, process, mechanical, civil, electrical and instrumentation. The project FEED package is approximately 90% complete.
The company said its annual contribution to the national exchequer in taxes and duties amounted to 156 billion rupees, while foreign exchange savings of $167.13 million were achieved through import substitution and exports.
Attock Refinery was incorporated in Pakistan on Nov. 8, 1978, as a private limited company and converted into a public company on June 26, 1979. It is principally engaged in refining crude oil.
