Saudi Aramco has shortlisted the bidders to four for the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package at its planned $3bn expansion of its Khurais oil field.

MEED reported in August that bids were received for all five packages at the scheme. The expansion of central processing facilities is the largest, with a budget is expected to be $1.5bn-$2bn.

The four remaining bidders are:

• Daelim Industrial (South Korea)
• Foster Wheeler Milan (Italy)/Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Saipem (Italy)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)

Aramco is expected to enter final commercial negotiations with the four remaining bidders and an award is expected by the end of September. The US’ Foster Wheeler is carrying out the front-end engineering and design (feed) for the scheme.

Aramco plans to add 300,000 barrels a day (b/d) to the field’s current capacity of 1.2 million b/d. Khurais is located adjacent to the Ghawar oil field, one of the world’s largest, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It began operations in 2009 and produces 1.2 million b/d of light Arabian crude, 320 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas and 80,000 b/d of natural gas liquids (NGLs).

The expansion at Khurais, as well as the planned increase of 250,000 b/d at the Shaybah field in the Empty Quarter, will ease production at other oil fields and will not increase the kingdom’s 12.5 million b/d capacity.