The Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) has appointed Fluor to oversee the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a planned aromatics facility in Bahrain.
The development aims to expand GPIC’s current operations, which already include the production of ammonia, urea and methanol.
According to Fluor, the proposed aromatics plant will employ established process technologies to achieve an output of around 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of paraxylene. It will also produce 500,000 tonnes per annum of benzene.
These compounds are widely used as feedstocks for manufacturing plastics, polyester fibres and packaging materials, meeting the requirements of the global market for various consumer and industrial goods.
Fluor energy solutions business group president Pierre Bechelany said: “This award reflects GPIC’s confidence in Fluor’s ability to deliver complex petrochemical projects with technical excellence and predictable outcomes.
“We look forward to supporting GPIC as it advances this important investment for the Kingdom of Bahrain’s industrial future.”
GPIC is a joint venture (JV) equally owned by Bapco energies of Bahrain, SABIC Agri-Nutrients Investment from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries.
It was incorporated in December 1979 and is based in Sitra, employing approximately 420 people.
GPIC’s existing complex, built on a 60-hectare reclaimed site, includes laboratories, offices, production plants, stores, utilities and workshops.
Last month, Fluor announced that its JV with JGC, JGC Fluor BC LNG II, has been granted a limited notice to proceed for the planned phase two expansion of the LNG Canada export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia.
The LNG Canada project is owned by Shell with a 40% stake, with Petronas holding 25%, PetroChina and Mitsubishi each with 15%, and KOGAS at 5%.
