São Paulo – Last week, Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, signed contracts with eight companies for the construction of a new refinery. The works will take place in Jazan Economic City, in the southeast of the country, and it should cover an area of 12 square kilometres. The information was disclosed in a company press statement.
When the works are concluded, in 2016, the plant will have refining capacity of 400,000 barrels of oil a day of heavy and medium oil, for production of petrol, diesel with ultra-low sulphur levels, benzene and paraxylene, a petrochemical input.
“This project […] will act like a new base for conversion and supporting industries in the Kingdom and an additional source of employment opportunities for the area’s inhabitants and will provide the City with a competitive edge through the provision of ample crude oil and energy supplies in this area," said Faysal Abdulaziz, a consultant at the ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources of the country, in a press statement.
Khalid Al-Falih, CEO at Saudi Aramco, pointed out that the project will generate over 1,000 direct and almost 4,000 indirect jobs. “A multiple-pier marine terminal will be constructed as part of the refinery to supply it with crude oil and support the refined products export operations," he said.
The executive also added that, to guarantee integration of efforts, Saudi Aramco is developing a combined cycle power plant in the same area, to receive 90,000 barrels a day of oil residue from Jazan refinery and produce approximately 2,400 megawatts of electricity. The plant will supply hydrogen, water and electricity to the refinery.
*Translated by Mark Ament
