A tribute to a refinery and its people who made a difference

Fifty years ago this month, Daura refinery in Baghdad started operations with a capacity of 25,000 barrels per day, not small by the standards those days. The facility was the first government-owned refinery in Iraq.

It was the most complex industrial project in Iraq at that time where the country did not even have a modern power station. The refinery had to generate its own power. Before it came up, Iraq largely depended for its petroleum products on supplies from a small refinery (Alwand) near the borders with Iran, which was built in 1924 and smaller topping units of the oil companies in addition to imports from Abadan, which had the largest refinery in the region.

Today, Daura refinery's capacity is 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) and over the years it underwent many expansions and process units to improve product quality and to produce different grades of fuels and more than 120,000 tonnes a year of lubricating oils and 300,000 tonnes a year of asphalt.

More than a billion barrels of crude oil have passed through this refinery and it is still an important part of Iraq's refining industry. Its importance to Iraq's economy cannot be underestimated. It never eclipsed despite the operation of Basrah refinery (160,000 bpd) in 1972 or the Baiji refinery (310,000 bpd) in 1982. Though these later refineries are much more advanced, Daura refinery remained an inspiring facility.

When the refinery started, Iraq did not have many qualified engineers and technicians and it had to rely on a service contract with an American company. However, this company decided to terminate the contract after the revolution in 1958.

Iraq had earlier put on training its engineers, chemists, physicists and anyone with scientific background for the eventual takeover of the plant. To the surprise of many, the Iraqis were able to operate the refinery and shoulder the responsibility of major expansions that were about to start in 1959. Thus, Daura refinery became a symbol of the challenges that lay ahead for the industry.

Daura became the school for the domestic oil and gas sector and there were always a number of engineers and technicians training at the facility for other projects. The refinery was also in the forefront to help other industries in maintenance, inspection and other services.

It shouldered the operation of Basrah refinery in 1972 by transferring a number of key personnel to manage the new plant and by training all the operators and maintenance staff. The same strategy was adopted when Baiji started operations in 1982.

A 50-year-old refinery to some people may be a relic but the situation in Iraq and the fact that the country has been at war, under sanctions or was occupied for a long period of time, has made the continued operation of the refinery most essential.

There is no doubt that the time will come when the refinery is either renewed or phased out when new refineries come on stream. To my regret, I would rather have it phased out due to its close location to the centre of Baghdad.

In May 1980, Daura celebrated its silver jubilee in style. The celebrations lasted a week, including a three-day technical conference. All the companies that had worked in Daura refinery were invited especially representatives of the original contractor.

The press took a special interest and explored what it meant for some people who had worked there since the start of construction. Some of them were simple farmers from the neighbourhood who were recruited first for simple jobs and then moved on to become operators or maintenance technicians.

This time around and for the refinery's golden jubilee, there appears to be no celebrations. It is unfortunate that the general conditions in Iraq and the worsening security situation in addition to the general degradation of the industry in the wake of the invasion and occupation, has made such niceties a form of luxury.

Some of my friends told me: "When your house is on fire, you do not sit down to write poetry." Of course they are right and therefore, this column is a tribute to the refinery and its people and to the multitude of industrial leaders in Iraq that gained their experience in the refinery and served their country and profession well. I am honoured and proud to have been one of them.

The writer is the former head of the Energy Studies Department at the Opec Secretariat and is currently working as an adviser.