Byco commissions Pakistan’s largest refinery

Byco Oil Petroleum Ltd. (BOPL), a subsidiary of Byco Petroleum Pakistan Ltd., has commissioned its long-awaited 120,000-b/d refinery in Baluchistan Province, Pakistan (OGJ Online, Mar. 18, 2010).

The refinery, now Pakistan’s largest, began operations in mid-February and currently is operating at its initial capacity of 50,000 b/d, according to a recent company release.

With start-up of the first phase now completed, the company is preparing for the next stage of the commissioning, which will increase the plant’s processing capacity to 90,000 b/d and onwards to 120,000 b/d, said Derek Lawler, BOPL chief executive.

The refinery already has started to produce on-specification products, including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, LPG, and naphtha.

Within the next 12 months, the refinery will be able to produce Euro 2-standard gasoline as well as high-speed diesels meeting international standards, Lawler added.

No timetable was disclosed for when the refinery would reach its full 120,000-b/d processing capacity.