Saudi Aramco (Dhahran; www.saudiaramco.com) and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical (Tokyo; www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english) have agreed to proceed with a USD 7 bn (EUR 5.6 bn) expansion of their joint venture, Petro Rabigh (www.petrorabigh.com), petrochemicals complex in Rabigh / Saudi Arabia. A feasibility study and front-end engineering design (FEED) work have been completed and the next phase of the project includes finalising the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and project financing, the companies said.

The "Rabigh II" project includes a new aromatics complex and an expanded facility to process 850.000 m³ of ethane and approximately 3m t/y of naphtha as feedstock for various petrochemicals products. The plants are expected to start up from the first half of 2016. Rabigh II’s main products will include thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO), LDPE/EVA, MMA, PMMA, PX, cumene, phenol and ethylene propylene rubber (EPR). “With respect to acrylic acid, SAP, caprolactam, nylon-6 and polyols, Sumitomo Chemical and Saudi Aramco will continue to explore the best possible mode of operation to implement projects on those product lines, including possible collaboration with a third party,” Sumitomo said.