Assiut Oil Refining Company (ASORC), a subsidiary of Egyptian General Petroleum (EGPC), has selected Bechtel for the process design of a delayed coking unit at the Assiut refinery in Egypt, Refining and Petrochemicals reported.

The new delayed coking unit will be part of the $1.5b refinery modernization program, using Bechtel’s proprietary ThruPlus coking technology to upgrade heavy oil into light hydrocarbon liquids, wrote Hydrocarbon Processing.

ASORC Chairman, Nagi Abd El-Ghaffar Kassab, said: “The addition of a modern delayed coking unit was determined to be the most economical option to allow the refinery to increase complexity and eliminate heavy fuel oil product.”

The Assiut Refinery upgrade program is aimed at increasing the operations efficiency and production of petroleum products to meet Upper Egypt’s growing demands while maintaining environmental standards.

In 2015, Technip signed a joint agreement with EGPC and ASORC for the modernization of the Assiut refinery. In addition to ensuring project financing, Technip will be responsible for the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) phase of the project.