Honeywell UOP last month signed an agreement with the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC) to support a $1.6 billion expansion of its refinery in Zarqa.

This expansion will increase the capacity of Jordan’s sole refinery to 120,000 barrels per day and will allow JPRC to upgrade the quality of its product to meet stricter emission standards, Honey UOP said in a statement.

“We are especially grateful to be involved in the expansion of the Zarqa refinery, which will increase its volume and upgrade the quality of its petroleum products and support the further economic development of Jordan,” Honeywell UOP President and CEO Rebecca Liebert said.

As part of the project, which is the fourth such expansion of the JPRC refinery, Honeywell UOP will provide manager licensing services, technology licensing, front-end engineering design consultancy services, and basic engineering design. It also will provide catalysts and process equipment, and training and start-up services.

JPRC CEO Abdul Karim Alaween said the project would help meet rising demand for fuel in Jordan, which is growing at an average of 3 percent per year.

As well as its refinery, JPRC operates a lube oil blending facility, three LPG bottling stations and LPG storage facilities in Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid. The company also owns and operates an oil terminal and storage facilities in the port city of Aqaba.