By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

The Laffan Refinery 2 (LR2) will process 146,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) of condensate feed stock, doubling the refining capacity of LR1 once completed in the third quarter of 2016.

Salman Ashkanani, chief operating officer, Refinery Ventures at Qatargas, told reporters that LR2 is expected to process 71,000 BPSD of naphtha, 60,800 BPSD of kerosene (also known as kerojet), 27,000 BPSD of gasoil and 850 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), including butane and propane.

He said combing LR1 and LR2 operations will make the whole Laffan Refinery the largest condensate facility in the world. Contracts have been awarded in April 2013 to a joint venture of Chiyoda Corp and CTCI Corp.

Ashkanani was speaking during a media tour yesterday at Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) where LR1 and LR2 are located.

He said noted the demand from the market is regularly monitored. “If there is a high demand for diesel and gas then we will inform our operations people to maximise its production,” he stressed. “Sometimes the market tells us we have to maximise the kerojet, so there is flexibility.”

Ashkanani noted that LR2, along with other projects, will strengthen the country’s capacity to meet increasing demand for transport fuels especially Jet A-1 (low sulphur jet fuel). It is learnt that a pipeline from the refinery going to the Hamad International Airport is already being constructed.

Besides major refinery products, he said LR-related projects such as the diesel hydrotreater will also produce low sulphur diesel that will serve the local market. Once completed by April 30, it will process 54,000 BPSD of diesel for domestic use.

However, refined products from LR2 will be exported to different countries.

To meet stringent environmental standards, LR2’s design reduces CO2, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides emissions with zero flaring during normal operations.

Like LR1, all LR2 products will be hydro-treated to reduce sulphur content. It was also designed for zero water disposal (no waste water into the sea).

The construction of the new refinery is also expected to generate job opportunities between 3,500 to 4,000 people.

During a visit to the “receiving and loading facilities” which are maintained and operated by Woqod, it was learnt that about 20 trucks per hour of gasoil and diesel are being transported to Woqod’s marine terminal at RLIC port and to the domestic market.

Ashkanani said that LR2 shareholders includes Qatar Petroleum (84%), Total (10%), Idemitsu (2%), Cosmo (2%), Marubeni (1%) and Mitsui (1%).

About the design, he said there never had any issue from the construction to the commission and up to the safe hand operation. Qatargas also conducts routine operations every five years in close coordination with QP refinery in Mesaieed and Tasweeq, the company that market Qatargas products.

He said, “The first shutdown for LR1 was done in January and it went smoothly we did not see any quality issue, it is a routine normal shutdown.”