Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih this week announced that the delayed Rabigh 2 petchems expansion will now only come fully online by end-Q1. Project operators Saudi Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo initially intended to bring the project online in 2016.
The plant is being built alongside the existing Petro Rabigh refining and petrochemicals joint venture on the Saudi Red Sea coast, where the partners currently operate a 400,000 b/d refinery and integrated 2.4mn t/y polyolefins plant. Rabigh 2 will add 2.6mn t/y capacity – just over half paraxylene and the rest a mix of polyolefins and specialty chemicals. (CONTINUED - 582 WORDS)
