Bapco launches multi-billion dollar modernisation project

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s state-owned Bapco Refining has unveiled its most ambitious expansion project to date, marking a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s energy sector development. The Bapco Modernization Project (BMP), launched recently, represents the largest capital investment in the company’s 90-year history.

Capacity surge

The cornerstone of the project is a substantial increase in refining capacity, which will rise by 42 percent to reach 400,000 barrels per day. This expansion includes the construction of one of the world’s largest Resid Hydrocracking Units, a facility that will occupy an area equivalent to ten football pitches.

Technological innovation

The project’s technological centerpiece is a two-train Resid Hydrocracking Unit with a capacity of 65,000 barrels per day, making it among the largest such facilities globally. The unit will convert 78 percent of lower-grade feedstock into high-margin diesel and kerosene products, significantly enhancing the refinery’s output quality.

Environmental gains

Environmental considerations feature prominently in the project’s design. The modernization effort promises to deliver a 50 percent reduction in SO2 emissions and a 5 percent cut in NOx emissions, while reducing treated wastewater discharge by 9 percent. These improvements align with both local environmental regulations and international lender standards.

Massive manpower

The project requires unprecedented manpower, engaging over 20,000 contractors at peak construction. A new crude distillation unit and vacuum distillation unit will replace facilities that have served the refinery for more than eight decades, incorporating stateof-the-art energy efficiency technologies.

Sulphur production

A new sulphur plant, comprising 11 integrated process units, will increase the refinery’s total sulphur production capacity to 1,100 metric tons per day. This expansion includes three sulphur recovery units, adding 600 metric tons per day to the existing capacity.

Vision 2030 alignment

The modernization project is expected to position Bapco as one of the most competitive and environmentally-compliant refineries in the region, supporting Bahrain’s Vision 2030 economic objectives. The existing refinery complex, spread across 2 million square meters, will be complemented by these new facilities, marking a transformative chapter in Bahrain’s energy infrastructure development.