Pakistan to build refinery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of the northwest province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to build a 40,000-b/d refinery on about 400 acres in Kohat district of K-P, the state-owned company reported.

The plant will use crude oil from nearby indigenous sources for production of petroleum products that conform to Euro IV standards. The project is to be fully commissioned by 2016-17, said the announcement, but offered no cost estimate. Local media reported the cost at $600 million with construction planned to begin by yearend.

OGJ data for Pakistan’s refining show it with more than 185,000 b/d of capacity spread among six refineries, most in or near Karachi (OGJ, Dec. 3, 2012, p. 32).