Algeria’s national oil company Sonatrach has invited companies to bid on a contract to build a new liquid petroleum gas (LPG) train near the town of Hassi Messaoud, according to industry sources.

The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the project is estimated to be worth $500m and will extend the existing ZCINA LPG plant in the area.

The project’s scope includes:

• LPG Train
• Feed Gas Connection lines between existing inlet manifold and new inlet separation
• Gas compression unit
• Air Instrument
• Nitrogen systems
• Inlet Separation and Condensate flash drum
• Interconnecting lines
• Feed Gas Dehydration unit;
• NGL recovery facilities
• Connection of residual Gas to existing facilities
• Connection of LPG and Condensate products at existing storage facilities
• Utilities

France’s Technip did the front end engineering design (feed) work for the project.

Oil and gas accounts for about 35 per cent of Algeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), and two-thirds of total exports.