Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Co. (SATORP) signed another agreement on January 24 for its proposed refinery in Jubail. The contract was awarded to the Saudi company Abdul-Rahman M. Al-Shalawi Est. The agreement, signed one month after the award of the Temporary Facilities Contract, is the second of 15 agreements to be signed by SATORP for the completion of the joint-venture project between the two shareholders, Saudi Aramco and Total. CEO Salem H. Shaheen, accompanied by a number of the company's senior officials, held meetings in Rome during the previous week, providing information on the project to the international contractors in preparation for their bids. Similar meetings also are scheduled with qualified local contractors in al-Khobar. Signing the agreement in the current international economic circumstances emphasizes the eagerness of shareholders Saudi Aramco and Total to proceed as planned with this vital project according to the proposed time schedule. The refinery, which is expected to start production by the end of 2012, has a processing capacity of 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian heavy crude.
