Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), a subsidiary of a African energy and infrastructure company Qalaa Holdings, has announced the inauguration of the $4.3bn Mostorod petrochem refinery in Egypt.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi has inaugurated the facility, which is claimed to be the largest private sector project of its kind in Africa, Enterprise reported.

The greenfield petroleum refinery converts low value fuel oil into middle and light distillates to meet the domestic consumption need in the country.

In addition, it helps in avoiding 186,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide and 96,000 tonnes of sulfur per year.

The refinery receives fuel oil as feedstock from EGPC’s Cairo Oil Refining Company (CORC), which is claimed to be the largest refinery of the nation that producing 20% of Egypt’s current refining capacity.

ERC refinery can produce approximately 2.3 mn tonnes of diesel fuel per year

The refinery has the capacity to produce approximately 2.3 mn tonnes of diesel fuel per year and 860k tonnes of high octane fuel, and 600,000 tonnes of jet fuel.

It can produce 4.7 million tonnes of refined products and oil derivatives annually.

Completely operational from September last year, ERC uses advanced technologies and helps to significantly minimise the carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions in the country.

Recently, Italian oil and gas company Eni and its partner BP have discovered new gas in the Great Nooros area, in the Abu Madi West Development lease, offshore Egypt.

The discovery has been made at the Nidoco NW-1 exploration well, in 16 meters of water depth, 4km north from the Nooros field that was discovered in July 2015.