GPCA '06: Aramco still keen to upgrade Yanbu
16 December 2006 10:53 [Source: ICIS news]
DUBAI (ICIS news)--State oil giant Saudi Aramco, is still keen to upgrade its existing Yanbu complex into an integrated refinery and may soon be discussing with selected companies over possible joint venture, a senior Aramco official said on Saturday.
"We are still interested to upgrade our Yanbu refinery into an integrated one, which can produce more value-added products," Khalid Al-Falih, senior vice president, industrial relations, Saudi Aramco, said at the sidelines of a two-day Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals (GPCA) forum.
He added that the company may be holding talks with some parties on possible joint venture with regard to the refinery integration but declined to give further details.
In June, an Aramco spokesman had told ICIS news that a similar project for its Yanbu refinery was under consideration, as the company evaluated options to upgrade the existing 235,000 bbl/day refinery into an integrated refinery, olefins, and aromatics complex that would provide a diverse line of petrochemical products.
"If it makes perfect sense for us to turn Yanbu into an integrated refinery, why shouldn't we do it," the Aramco official said.
Aramco had said it wants to diversify its operations beyond production and refining, and integrate petrochemicals at its current and planned grassroots refining complexes.
Recently, Dow Chemical said it was planning power generation facilities, ethane extraction and chemicals production at its proposed Ras Tanura joint venture with Aramco.
The venture would be integrated with Aramco’s 550,000 bbl/day refinery at Ras Tanura and the construction of new power generation facilities, ethane extraction capabilities and chemicals production plants.
ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009
Author: Nurul Darni65 6789 4359
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