The Ministry of Oil of Iraq has announced plans to commission the Kerbala refinery in 2022. The construction was awarded to a South Korean consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and it started in 2014. However, works have been stalled due to a lack of finance. The refinery would have a capacity of 150,000 bbl/d, slightly higher than initially planned (140,000 bbl/d).
Iraq currently plans to retire part of the existing refining capacity and build new refineries. It aims at increasing the country's domestic refining capacity to more than 1.4 mb/d through several projects, including 150,000 bbl/d Karbala, 150,000 bbl/d Maysan and 150,000 bbl/d Kirkuk. In 2018, it also outlined plans to invite bidders for the development of three other refineries: two 150,000 bbl/d facilities in Nasiriya (southern Iraq) and in the western Anbar province, along with a 100,000 bbl/d refinery in the city of Qayyarah in the Mosul region.