Attock Refinery plans new 50,000 BPD deep-conversion refinery

Attock Refinery Limited (ARL), a subsidiary of Attock Oil Company Limited, has announced plans to construct a new 50,000-barrels-per-day (BPD) deep-conversion refinery. This development comes in their annual report released on Monday. ARL revealed they will design and install a state-of-the-art deep conversion refinery with a capacity of 50,000 BPD, contingent upon the availability of sustainable local crude from the North and proper government support.

One of the major hurdles ARL faces is upgrading its plants to comply with Euro-V fuel specifications. To address this, the company has outlined a strategic expansion plan aimed at enhancing product specifications. A key component of this plan is the installation of a Continuous Catalyst Regeneration (CCR) Unit, which is expected to boost the volume of PMG production and elevate PMG pool octane levels to meet Euro-V standards. This upgrade will also eliminate the need for octane-boosting additives and naphtha exports.

In addition to the CCR Unit, ARL plans to revamp its DHDS unit, which will help reduce the sulphur content of Heavy-Sulphur Distillate (HSD) to 10 parts per million. The company has already completed the Licensor Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies for these projects, with an estimated cost of around $600 million. The FEED package, covering multiple disciplines such as Management, Process, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, and Instrumentation, is nearing completion, with approximately 90% of the work already completed.

ARL's annual contribution to the national exchequer, through taxes and duties, is valued at Rs156 billion. Furthermore, the refinery has managed to save $167.13 million in foreign exchange by substituting imports and exporting goods. The refinery was established in Pakistan on November 8, 1978, as a private limited company and was converted to a public company on June 26, 1979. ARL's primary focus is on the refining of crude oil.