Bahrain plans long-term boost in refining capacity
Published: Jun 1, 2010 01:46 Updated: Jun 1, 2010 01:46
MANAMA: Non-OPEC oil producer Bahrain plans to boost its downstream capacity once it has tripled output of its Awali oil field, for which it could build a new refinery, the country's top oil official said on Monday.
Bahrain plans to bring oil output to about 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) from its current 32,000 bpd, and is in talks with Saudi Arabia to expand a pipeline through which it currently imports about 230,000 bpd to some 350,000 bpd.
"So this means we have... 170,000 (bpd) more (crude oil), so this we could either use to expand the current capacity of the refinery, which is 267,000 barrels per day, to between 400,000-500,000 barrels per day," Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza told reporters.
"Or we can see in the long-term whether we can use it to invite the private sector to join us in building a new refinery," he said.
He said these were long-term plans and a decision was still a few years off.
Mirza, who chairs Bahrain's National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), said the route was still being finalized for a new pipeline between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that would be part of the expansion. After that, it would take between six and 12 months for the technical engineering.
Mirza also said Bahrain plans to send out a tender for installing import facilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of the year.
He said it was still not clear whether the facility would be on-shore or floating.
Bahrain has seen a rapid rise in gas demand as its economy expanded during the recent oil boom, and in the long-term has to import gas to meet the increase in consumption.
