Abu Dhabi state energy firm Adnoc is finalizing its $3.5bn crude flexibility project (CFP) which is intended to free up additional volumes of its flagship Murban grade for export. The multi-year project to upgrade the 417,000 b/d Ruwais West refinery to run on heavier grades is nearing completion and could have a profound impact on the balance of crude exports from the UAE in 2024.
Ruwais West currently runs entirely on a feedstock of light crude, primarily Adnoc’s Murban (40°API, 0.7% sulfur) and domestically produced condensate alongside modest volumes of imported cargoes such as CPC blend from Kazakhstan. With the neighboring Ruwais East refinery’s 140,000 b/d CDU also running on Murban (the plant also has two condensate splitters totaling 280,000 b/d), as much as 557,000 b/d of Abu Dhabi’s premium crude is refined domestically rather than exported. (CONTINUED - 1486 WORDS)
