Q&A: Ibrahim Abdel Zahra, FCC project manager

BASRA - A major upgrade at Iraq's largest refinery promises to improve the country's production of high-quality fuel and help reduce a problematic glut of high-sulfur fuel oil.

The installation of a Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit is scheduled for completion by mid-2025, with full operational capacity starting in January 2026, according to project manager Ibrahim Abdel Zahra, who spoke with Iraq Oil Report at his office in Basra.

When it is finished, the FCC unit will reduce Iraq's demand on expensive fuel imports. It will also consume some 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) of heavy fuel oil, which has been increasingly difficult for Iraq to sell now that international standards have taken effect that reduce demand for the high-sulfur products Iraq had been exporting.

The FCC project is being financed via a series of loans provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the latest of which — to fund work in 2024 and 2025 — will need approval by both Iraq's Cabinet and Parliament.

A full transcript of the interview is available below for Iraq Oil Report subscribers.