Petroleum Minister Tarek Mulla on Monday inspected a new project by Assuit Oil Refining Company (ASORC) to produce 400,000 tons of butane gas annually, with a cost of EGP 187 million, in Upper Egypt.

The project is meant to up the butane gas production from 60 tons per day to 120 tons after operating a complex to produce higher octane gasoline, ASORC chairman Nagy Kassab said.

Co-designed and implemented by Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Enppi) and Petrojet, the experimental operation of the project started last November, Kassab stated.

Meanwhile, minister Mulla said the project falls within the framework of the Ministry of Petroleum plan to upgrade and improve refineries to secure fuel supply, cope with the growing local demand for petroleum products and reduce imports.

New projects being implemented in the energy field aim at capitalizing on the major capabilities of the oil production units, the minister went on to say.