Saudi Arabia’s Petro Rabigh forced to shut ops at petchem complex

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Saudi Arabia’s Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (Petro Rabigh) on 9 August was forced to shut some operations at its complex in Rabigh after a technical failure at an air supply unit, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

The air supply unit was restarted and ramped up to full capacity on the same day, the company said in a statement on Tadawul, the Saudi bourse.

The other unspecified units at the complex which were affected by the air supply unit’s shutdown are now being ramped up and normal operations are expected to resume on 19 September, the company said.

The company added that the disruption will cut its third-quarter net income by Saudi riyal (SR) 30m ($8m).

Petro Rabigh, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Oil Co and Sumitomo Chemical, has an annual output capacity of 18m tonnes of refined products and 2.4m tonnes of petrochemicals.

($1 = SR3.75)