Iraq starts trial operations of Karbala oil refinery

BAGHDAD, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraq on Sunday started trial operations of the Karbala refinery south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the Oil Ministry said in a statement.

"The refinery's capacity of 140,000 barrels per day will contribute to covering part of the local need and reducing the import of (oil derivatives) during the next period," the statement quoted Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail as saying.

Ayed Jaber Omran, director general of the Baghdad-based Midland Refineries Company, said that the start of pumping crude oil to the refinery's production units is an important step to expedite the operations of the refinery's production, according to the statement.

The new oil facility, which is located in the south of Karbala province, some 110 km south of Baghdad, will be supplied with crude oil via a pipeline from the southern oil fields in Basra. The project is expected to help meet the growing domestic demand for oil derivatives.