KARACHI, Feb 23: Bosicor Pakistan Limited (BPL) has increased its refining capacity to 30,000 barrels per day from 18,000 bpd after the revamping of its crude distillation unit.

This was achieved on Feb 15 when a new pre-flash distillation system was taken on line.

The project entailed efficiency improvements to the existing system by adding additional high efficiency equipment, “which includes parallel crude oil pre-heat train, pre-flash distillation column, crude furnace, and high efficiency internals of main crude distillation column, heat exchangers, air coolers and pumps to the existing refinery,” said a company statement.

To improve the refinery’s product slate, a new sweetening plant for LPG production has also been added.

Utilities have also been improved upon by the addition of boiler, cooling tower, hot oil systems, fuel oil system.

Outside the battery limits, up-gradation to the crude oil receiving bays and additional product shipment gantries have been added.

The refinery has also commissioned a new operations building and has installed a state-of-the-art control room and field instrumentation.

“The preliminary engineering was performed by UOP, while Enar Petrotech Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd performed the basic engineering services and Descon Engineering Ltd completed the detailed engineering and construction services on the project.”This capacity enhancement and plant process efficiency improvement is expected to have a positive effect on the company’s profitability and shareholder value.

The company has invested over Rs1 billion to achieve the goal by revamping the entire capacity enhancement project, Chief Executive Officer of BPL, Wasi Khan told Dawn on Saturday.

The share of BPL, out of total country’s refining capacity of over 11 million tons per annum, will stand at 1.8 million tons per annum which comes to 15 per cent share, he said.

BPL had started its commercial operation in 2004. He said that the company had also opened 12 petrol pumps in the country mainly in Punjab and NWFP. The first pump was opened in July 2007.

Mr Wasi said by June 2008, the company would have 50 pumps, out of which 20 are under-construction.