Iraq’s Minister of Oil Ihasn Abdul Jabbar has inaugurated a unit for improving octane production at a capacity of 10,000 barrels per day (b/d) in Azmara, and another unit for Hydrogen production at a capacity of 4,000 b/d, a press release reported.

A number of large storage units for light distillates have been also inaugurated.

During the inauguration ceremony, Abdul Jabbar emphasized the importance of the refining sector as one of the national economic cores, while underlining the importance of these projects to  increase production of octane and decrease the exports.

According to Abdul Jabbar, the projects will increase the daily production by 1 million liters, so that the total daily production can reach 4 million liters per day. He noted that the ministry plans to decrease fuel exports by 50% by the end of 2021 and to stop it completely by 2023.