Project Profile
Value: US$20,000 million
Location: Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Production capacity: 1.3 million t/y of ethylene and 400,000-t/y of propylene
Start-up Year: 2017
The refinery’s production will be centred on an ethylene facility that will be able to produce 1.3 million tpy of ethylene and 400,000-t/y of propylene. The cracker that will be used is a mixed-feed cracker using ethane and naptha will be built that will produce 1.2 million t/y of ethylene and 400,000 t/y of propylene. The ethane will be provided by the Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemicals Company (Satorp) Jubail export refinery project. The volume of output from the plant will be little altered from the original 8 million tonnes a year of petrochemicals and gasoline products, by the scope change but the diversity of products will be significantly reduced.
The location change will allow cost savings of around 40% as the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu will provide the basic infrastructure required for the project including utilities such as power and water. The move to Jubail will see the petrochemicals complex become a standalone project rather than a fully integrated refinery and petrochemicals development. This means that the Ras Tanura refinery expansion has been abandoned.
Sadara Chemical Co. commissioned Saudi Arabia’s first mixed-feed cracker (MFC), operational since 28 August 2016. The MFC includes 12 furnaces, seven of which will be used to crack ethane, with the remaining five liquid furnaces dedicated to cracking naphtha. (September, 2016)
Operators:
Saudi Aramco: Will own and operate the refinery after the expansion
Dow Chemical: In Joint Venture with Saudi Aramco - BOO the petrochemicals complex and provide technology
Sadara Chemical Co. (a JV of Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical Co.)
Contractors:
ABB: Process automation and safety systems, project management, project engineering, commissioning assistance, and post-commissioning site support
Daelim: EPCM for utilities and offsites at the petrochemical complex
Eaton: Provide electrical equipment
Foster Wheeler: FEED and EPCM contract
Fluor: EPCM contract
Jacobs Engineering: FEED and EPCM contract
Intertec: Supply the environmental protection cabinets and shelters
Also EPCM for Chemicals 1 Envelope
KBR: FEED and PMC contract
Linde Group: Supply Sadara with carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3)
Marafiq: Developing the plant
Metso: Orders for Neles® and Jamesbury® valves
Rolta International: Implement a comprehensive Engineering System
Rotary Engineering: EPC of 14 tanks for an elastomers plant that produces high specification synthetic rubber of various types
Shearman & Sterling and White & Case: Finance
Technip: FEED - Cracker unit
Kentz Corporation Limited: In-Plant Work Support Services Contract for the new Sadara Petrochemical Plants being constructed including supply of manpower, management, supervision, skilled labour force, construction and maintenance equipment, small tools and consumables, and procure other equipment, materials and services, as well as support of construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and start-up activities (project will be performed on Work Unit Rate and Time Unit Rate bases and will be executed through Kentz Construction & Technical Support Services Business Units)
Alderley Dammam (subsidiary of Alderley plc): Provision of a 19m long, 9m wide and 5m high crude oil metering system
Rolta India Ltd.: Contract to implement a comprehensive engineering information system (EIS) within Sadara’s grassroots Jubail integrated chemical complex in Jubail Industrial City II
Jacobs Engineering: Four-year contract engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the Sadara project. The contract value was not disclosed. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing both in-kingdom and out-of-kingdom EPCM services to Sadara. The in-kingdom services are being delivered from Jacobs’ local operations in Saudi Arabia with support from its global network of offices.
Subcontractor:
Veolia Water: Design, build and operate the largest ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis desalination plant