Aramco: Wasit gas plant front end work ready by Q1 2011

Saudi Aramco has said that front-end engineering and design work by Canada's SNC-Lavalin for the kingdom's biggest gas plant are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2011, Reuters has reported. The Wasit gas development programme will provide for the production and processing of up to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day of gas from the Arabiyah and Hasbah offshore non-associated gas fields. Supplies from this gas plant would be used for power and industry, but not as a feedstock for petrochemicals, Aramco's chief executive Khalid al-Falih told the news service in November.