Gulf petrochemicals producers continue to seek expansion opportunities, despite a large and growing list of plants under development. The project pipeline is dominated by two megaprojects – the Sadara complex and the Petro Rabigh 2 expansion. The project pipeline is expected to add more than 13mn tons/year of commodity and specialty chemicals capacity.
Saudi Arabia’s Farabi in late October awarded Foster Wheeler a concept study for a “world-scale” [around 100,000 t/y] linear alkyl benzene (LAB) and specialty chemicals plant to be built at Jazan to utilize diesel feedstock. Farabi currently produces 120,000 t/y of paraffin and 70,000 t/y of LAB at Jubail. The scope of work will include recommending technologies for aromatics production and heavy fuel oil treatment, estimating capital and operating costs, and preparing a tender for front-end engineering design (FEED). Completion is scheduled for first quarter 2014. (CONTINUED - 496 WORDS)
