Total and OiLibya have inaugurated their new joint industrial facility in Borg El Arab, Egypt
Attending the inauguration ceremony were Momar Nguer, senior vice-president Africa/Middle East of Total Marketing & Services, and Ibrahim Bugaigis, chairman and CEO of Libya Oil Corporate.
“This latest investment once again demonstrates our commitment to Egypt and continued expansion here,” Nguer said.
The facility comprises a tank farm and a blending unit that will be operated by Oil Products Storage and Blending Alexandria (OPSBA), an industrial joint venture in which each company will hold 65 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
Bugaigis noted, “Over the past 10 years, Oilibya business magnitude has grown rapidly in the Egyptian market. In order to meet this growing demand, the Corporate decided to invest in the OPSBA production facility in Borg El Arab.”
Covering more than 34,000 sq m, the unit took 16 months to build and was completed in October 2012. Features include a lubricant blending unit with a production capacity of 40,000 mt per year, a depot with 23 tanks that can hold 8,000 cu/m of products, and an onsite laboratory for quality control and oil analysis purposes.
The blending unit produces a wide range of lubricants for manufacturing, agricultural and construction machinery as well as for trucks, cars and motorbikes.
Thomas Rebeyrol, managing director of Total Egypt, commented, “By reliably delivering specified quantities of products of consistent quality, the facility offers a major competitive advantage in the market and will support the growth of our lubricants business line, the most profitable segment in our portfolio.”
