Egypt’s $3.5bn Mostorod New Refinery is on target to come online at some point in 2018, according to a statement released by Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Molla on 1 January.

The refinery is currently in the final stages of construction at a site 10km north of Cairo.

It will crack heavy products produced in Egypt, producing lighter products including diesel and gasoline.

When the project was conceived it was hoped that it would cut Egypt’s diesel imports by half and cut gasoline imports by 40 per cent.

The scheme includes the following new facilities:

• Diesel hydrotreating unit (23,600 b/d)
• Vacuum distillation unit (81,500 b/d)
• Hydrocracker (39,600 b/d)
• Catalyst reforming unit (13,000 b/d)
• Delayed coker (16,700 b/d)

The Mostorod New Refinery project has seen several delays. Originally it was expected to come online in December 2016.