Start-up of Oman’s much-anticipated 230,000 b/d OQ8 refinery (OQ 50%, Kuwait Petroleum International: KPI 50%) is set for the end of next year. Speaking to Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA, KPI CEO Shafi al-Ajmi, said this week that the project is 95% complete and that commercial operations are planned to begin by late-2023. The project has been much delayed, and test runs are meant to start in the first quarter of 2023.

The refinery is slated to produce 131,500 b/d gasoil/diesel, 60,800 b/d naphtha, 22,400 b/d jet fuel, and 12,300 b/d LPG (MEES, 31 August 2018) and its eventual startup will help ease the worsening distillate-crunch which is pushing crack spreads to record highs (MEES, 18 November). (CONTINUED - 112 WORDS)