Much delayed plans to expand the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (Bapco’s) 267,000 b/d refinery, the country’s sole refining asset, are finally moving forward. Bapco intends to boost overall throughput capacity to 360,000 b/d while replacing several older units to improve high quality middle distillate yield.

Bapco has awarded French engineering firm Technip a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract worth $55mn for four main packages, including unspecified upgrading units as well as associated offsite and utilities. Technip says that it expects to complete the FEED work by the end of next year. (CONTINUED - 380 WORDS)