The bidders include Italy's Saipem, Italy-based Techint, Suedrohrbau of the Netherlands, Turkey's Tekfen, Lebanon's Contracting & Trading Company (CAT) and local firms Faysal M Qahtani Establishment (FMQ)and Tamimi Construction.

The lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) contract is estimated to be worth $100 million-200 million. The successful bidder will build parallel ethane and butane pipelines over a distance of 212 kilometres, between the integrated Rabigh refinery/petrochemicals plant and the existing Yanbu natural gas liquids (NGL) facility.

The scope of the contract will also entail an access route on the entire pipeline route as well as numerous related facilities including compressors, duty pumps and a new 13.8-kV substation. UK-based Foster Wheeler Energyis the project management services (PMS) contractor. A contract award is scheduled for late October, with the project due to be completed by the second quarter of 2008 (MEED 24:6:05).