Construction continues on Qatar’s Laffan Refinery 2

Qatar Petroleum (QP) has started additional construction work a 146,000-b/d condensate splitter at its Laffan refining complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City (OGJ Online, Aug. 19, 2011).

The foundation stone for Laffan Refinery 2 (LR 2) was formally laid on Apr. 1 at a ceremony in Doha, Qatargas Operating Co. Ltd. said.

The LR 2 project—a joint venture of QP 84%, Total SA 10%, Idemitsu 2%, Cosmo 2%, Marubeni 1%, and Mitsui 1%—will double Laffan Refinery 1’s (LR 1) condensate refining capacity to 300,000 b/d, making it the largest condensate refinery in the world, according to Qatargas.

Like LR 1, LR 2 will be operated by Qatargas and will process untreated condensate from supergiant North gas field, producing as much as 60,000 b/d of naphtha, 53,000 b/d of jet fuel, 24,000 b/d of gas oil, and 9,000 b/d of LPG (OGJ Online, Apr. 22, 2013).

Construction of the $1.5 billion facility is scheduled to be completed by third-quarter 2016, Qatargas said.

QP previously announced a diesel hydrotreater already under construction was expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2014 and would have capacity to process all light gas oil from the LR 1 and LR 2 facilities, yielding ultralow-sulfur diesel (OGJ Online, Oct. 9, 2013; Apr. 22, 2013).