ENOC to start upgraded refinery in April

Dubai’s government-owned refiner Emirates National Oil Co. (ENOC) aims to start its upgraded Jebel Ali refinery in April, the group’s Chief Executive Saeed Khoory said. The refinery has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. ENOC began commissioning units at the plant in December 2009 after completing the US$850 million overhaul. The project’s initial budget was around US$500 million, but Jebel Ali, like many other energy projects worldwide, suffered cost inflation as oil ran up to a record high near US$150 a barrel in 2008. “Sequential commissioning is expected to be completed by April this year,” Khoory said in a statement. (January 7, 2009)