Petro Rabigh Phase II to start operations in July: report

The second phase of Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company’s (Petro Rabigh) mega downstream complex is nearly complete, and the project is expected to start operations next month, MEED reported, citing a source close to the project.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could attend the launch event, the source said.

Petro Rabigh is a joint venture (JV) between Saudi Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical, with both firms holding 37.5 percent shares each and the remaining trading on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

The Petro Rabigh refinery complex in Rabigh is a topping refinery and consists of a 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) crude distillation unit, a 47,000 bpd hydrotreater, a 12 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) hydrogen plant, a 75,000 bpd naphtha merox unit and a 60,000 bpd kerosene merox unit along with supporting utilities, product tankage and a marine terminal, the report said.

The Phase II expansion will add 15 chemical plants to the Petro Rabigh complex, which will help the firm process an additional 30 million cubic feet a year (cf/y) of ethane and 3 million tonnes a year (t/y) of naphtha.

Expansion of the main chemical plant and establishment of a clean fuels complex comprising polyether polyols, naphtha treating and Sulphur recovery units, are also part of the Phase II project.

Nearly 35 factories and derivatives units are expected to come up in the larger industrial zone in Rabigh, in close proximity to the Petro Rabigh petrochemicals complex, the report said.