TotalEnergies to optimise $7-billion Bahrain refinery upgrade

TotalEnergies has agreed to collaborate with Bahrain’s Bapco Energies on optimising operations at its Sitra refinery and on petroleum products trading, the French energy giant said on Monday.

Bapco has invested USD 7 billion in expanding the processing capacity of the Sitra refinery from around 280,000 bpd to around 380,000 bpd, as well as upgrading the facility to allow it to process heavier crudes.

The investment is the largest in Bahrain’s history.

The company plans to complete the upgrade later this year. “Our partnership with TotalEnergies will help build a quality customer base for our expanded production,” Bapco Energies chairman H.H. Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa said.

The French company is expected to contribute feedstock supply, as well as bringing its refining and trading expertise.

TotalEnergies chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné signalled that the collaboration with Bahrain could see future expansion. “We will work to extend our collaboration beyond oil and petroleum products to potential future developments in other energies, such as LNG or renewable power,” he said.