Aramco Extends Bidding for Ras Tanura Clean Fuels Project

State oil giant Saudi Aramco has extended the deadline for companies to bid for construction of a clean fuels and aromatics project at its largest refinery in Ras Tanura, three industry sources said. Bids are now due by Oct. 20, pushed back from Sept. 8, for the multi-billion-dollar project.

"Bidders requested an extension as there were so many additions to the scope of work," one of the sources said. The world's top oil exporter has embarked on a programme to upgrade its refineries as part of a shift by Middle Eastern refiners to produce cleaner fuels for export markets.

Aramco has also extended the date for bids to build a 2,400 megawatt power plant to supply electricity to its new 400,000 bpd refinery in Jizan, sources said, after companies asked for more time to prepare their offers.

The Ras Tanura clean fuels and aromatics project due on line by 2016 is part of Aramco's second phase of its refineries upgrade. It will also help supply a new petrochemicals joint venture with Dow Chemical. It includes a naphtha hydrotreater among other units and will have an annual production capacity of around 1 million metric tonnes of aromatics.

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