“We are happy today to sign the agreement with Tunisia to construct a refinery whose capacity is about 150,000 barrels per day”, Qatar’s Deouty Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah said at the deal signing ceremony here.

Qatar Petroleum, in partnership with British Petrofac, was selected by the Tunisian ministry to build, own, manage and run the refinery for at least 30 years. The planned plant will be located in the coastal town of Skhira. Tunisia only has a refinery in the northern city of Bizerte with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day. It wants to expand its refining potential to satisfy an economy that has been growing by an average of 5 per cent over the past decade.

PIN/ REUTERS