Written on 12.01.2012 - Industry
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SAUDI ARABIA: PetroRabigh Successfully Completes Testing To Become ‘Fully Operational & Optimized’

Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. (PetroRabigh) said its Rabigh petrochemical complex is “now fully operational and optimized,” with the successful completion of the lenders reliability test (LRT) in all plants at the complex).

The complex is designed to produce 1.3-million t/y of ethylene and 900,000 t/y of propylene, as well as downstream production of polyethylene, polypropylene, propylene oxide, ethylene glycol and butene-1.

During the LRT, the complex operated for 210 days with average feedstock consumption at over 90% of design and average production at over 80%, PetroRabigh said.

Successful completion of the LRT, which confirms the complex’s production stability and reliability, requires that no single stoppage can exceed 72 hours.

PetroRabigh, a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical is planning a second phase expansion that includes an expansion of its ethane cracker, an aromatics project and other derivative units.

Source: Weekly "PetroChemical News", Durham, NC, USA; 9 Jan 2012

(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)