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France’s Axens has signed a long-term agreement with the Egyptian Refining Company (ERC) that covers product supply, digital transformation and refinery performance optimisation.

ERC operates Egypt’s $4.4bn Mostorod refinery, which was inaugurated in September 2020.

In a statement about the deal, Axens said that it will “leverage its comprehensive and integrated portfolio of technologies, equipment, catalysts and services to support ERC’s operational, economic and sustainability objectives”.

It added: “With its end-to-end expertise across the entire refining value chain, Axens is uniquely positioned to support ERC from early-stage project studies through engineering, unit start-up, operational optimisation and long-term technical follow-up.

“This fully integrated approach will help ensure reliability, operational excellence and environmental performance across the refinery’s life cycle.”

Quentin Debuisschert, the chief executive and chairman of Axens, said: “This long-term agreement marks an important milestone in the relationship between Axens and ERC.

“It reflects our ability to support customers beyond technology licensing by delivering a fully integrated offering that combines all process and catalyst technologies a modern refinery needs, services, digital solutions, operational expertise and training.

“We are committed to supporting ERC’s ambitions in operational excellence, digital transformation and sustainability while helping maximise the long-term value and competitiveness of its assets.

“We are proud and motivated to continue supporting ERC in ensuring the economic and operational success of its refinery."

Mohamed Saad, the president of ERC, said: “ERC values its strong partnership with Axens and the confidence this agreement brings for the future.

"This collaboration will help us continue enhancing refinery performance, maximising operational efficiency and delivering high-quality products to support Egypt’s energy needs.”

The Mostorod refinery is located 10 kilometres north of Cairo and has the capacity to produce about 4.7 million tonnes of petroleum products annually.

It sells all of its output directly to the national oil company Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation under a 25-year agreement.

When the refinery was brought online and reached full capacity, it boosted Egypt’s capacity to produce diesel by 30% and increased gasoline production by 15%.

Operations started at the refinery in November 2019.

Qatar Petroleum is a stakeholder in the project. It owns 38.1% of the Arabian Refinery Company, which in turn owns 66.6% of ERC.

The Mostorod refinery mainly produces Euro 5 refined products, including diesel and jet fuel, which are intended for consumption primarily in Cairo and surrounding areas.