The Dung Quat Economic Zone Authority (DEZA) and the Binh Son Oil Refinery Co. Ltd on January 23 unveiled a plan to upgrade and expand the Dung Quat Oil Refinery in the central province of Quang Ngai.

The Binh Son Company received the investment approval for the project last month.

The 1.82 billion USD project, invested by the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, will increase the plant’s annual capacity from 6.5 million tonnes of products to 8.5 million tonnes.

The expanded refinery will cover more than 300 hectares, including 108 hectares of land and 196 hectares of water surface in Binh Tri and Binh Thuan communes, Binh Son district. The work is scheduled to be completed by 2022.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and Head of the DEZA Pham Nhu So said the authority is entering the third phase of construction for the Tay Bac Van Tuong (Northwest Van Tuong) resettlement area, which will accommodate 341 households with 1,247 people relocated for the project.

Dung Quat and its smaller counterpart Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City are the only operational oil refineries in Vietnam. The Dung Quat plant opened in February 2009 and currently satisfies about 30 percent of domestic demand.-VNA