Damascus, Sept. 11 (SANA) Syria’s Baniyas Refinery is undergoing its most extensive overhaul to date, with work aimed at raising processing capacity from around 80,000 to 130,000 barrels per day and improving the reliability of domestic fuel supplies, the Syrian Petroleum Company said.
Tariq al-Abdullah, the company’s Deputy CEO for Refining and Chemical Industries, said technical assessments showed that years of operation without a comprehensive overhaul had left several units and key pieces of equipment in urgent need of rehabilitation.
The work includes replacing the reactor, rehabilitating the distillation unit and power plant, and upgrading turbines, facilities, roads and safety systems. Al-Abdullah said the overhaul is the first of its scale in the refinery’s history.
Higher capacity to boost fuel production
Once completed, the overhaul is expected to increase capacity by about 50,000 barrels per day, allowing the refinery to produce more gasoline, diesel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), while reducing equipment failures and improving operational efficiency and product quality.
The refinery will resume operations gradually after maintenance, inspections and safety tests are completed, al-Abdullah said. Most of the work is being carried out by refinery personnel with support from qualified Syrian companies.
The overhaul had initially been planned for 2025 but was postponed because necessary spare parts and materials had not arrived, he added.
Syria faces gap between oil production and demand
The shutdown comes as Syria continues to face a significant gap between domestic oil production and demand, alongside rising global fuel prices amid disruptions to oil supplies and shipping routes.
According to the Energy Ministry, the country produces around 100,000 barrels of oil per day, compared with estimated needs of about 300,000 barrels per day.
That gap leaves Syria dependent on imports for part of its petroleum needs, while higher global oil and refined-product prices have increased the cost of securing additional supplies during the refinery shutdown.
Some domestically produced crude is also not fully compatible with the country’s existing refining capacity, requiring imports of suitable crude grades or finished petroleum products.
Once Baniyas Refinery returns to service at higher capacity, the company expects it to increase the share of domestic production in meeting market demand, reduce reliance on imported refined products and give Syria’s refining sector greater flexibility in responding to fluctuations in global energy markets.
T.S /ABD
