Saudi Aramco said the $14 billion refinery at Jubail would reach full
operations by the end of 2013. Aramco said the facility, designed to process
440,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was nearly 70 percent complete.
"Overall engineering, procurement, and construction work at the refinery
is 68 percent complete," Fawaz Nawab, chief executive officer of Aramco's
refinery subsidiary, said.
Nawab said Jubail would enable Saudi Arabia to become an exporter of
gasoline and jet fuel. He said fuel sales would proceed through Aramco as
well as France's Total.
Meanwhile, Oman has launched a major refinery project.
The Gulf Cooperation Council sultanate has awarded a contract to U.S.
companies for refinery and petrochemicals. The awards included Foster
Wheeler and Honeywell, assigned to help in the expansion of Oman's Sohar
refinery.
"We are very pleased that Orpic has selected UOP/Foster Wheeler
technology for this strategically important refinery project in the Middle
East," Foster Wheeler chief executive officer Umberto della Sala said. "This
latest award constitutes a strong vote of confidence in the added value we
deliver in heavy oil processing and continues our successful record in
licensing large SDA Units."
Under the contract, Foster Wheeler and Honeywell would submit an
engineering design package for a solvent deasphalting unit. The unit was
meant to increase refinery production of gasoline and jet fuel.