Daelim Engineering Company, GS Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company and Samsung Engineering Company, all of South Korea, each submitted offers for the lump-sum engineering, procurement and construction contract, which has an estimated value of up to $400m (MEED 11:4:08).

Further pricing options are due to be submitted on 3 May, after which the client, a joint venture of Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) and the local Sahara Petrochemical Company, will start technical evaluation. An award is expected by the end of the summer.

The complex will have two main process units: a caustic chlorine plant and an EDC facility.

The former will be fed with 370,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of salt feedstock, procured locally, to produce 250,000 t/y of caustic soda, which Maaden will use for the etching process at its planned aluminium smelter at Ras al-Zour.

The chlorine will be used as feedstock for the 300,000-t/y ethylene dichloride facility. Ethylene feedstock will be supplied from the Saudi Ethylene & Polyethylene Company cracker.

The ethylene dichloride produced will be sold for export. Additional ethylene amine produced will be sold locally. Mechanical completion is set for the second quarter of 2010 (MEED 6:7:07).