Production from the hydraulic-cracking project at the Asyut refinery and the expansion project at the Middle East Oil Refinery will begin on schedule, according to the CEO of Technip, Marco Villa, Egypt Oil & Gas reports.

Technip, an Italian firm, is the general contractor for both projects.

The expansion of MIDOR will increase the refinery’s capacity by 52% to 175,000 barrels per day (b/d) from its current capacity of 115,000 b/d. Technip is also implementing a project to perform hydrogen cracking on low-value products, such as mazut, at the Asyut refinery to increase the output of higher-value products.

Technip has invested approximately $3.7 billion in the two projects.

These figures were announced during a meeting between Villa and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla.