Kuwait Sante Fe for Engineering & Petroleum Projects Company, acting on behalf of KPC, will oversee the formation of a new project company to be granted a concession to set up, own and operate the proposed plant.

The plant, to be located at the Shuaiba industrial area, will take 20 months to build and will have capacity to produce 300,000 tonnes a year of calcined coke as its main product, beside certain volumes of gypsum and steam. Petroleum coke, the feedstock for the proposed plant, will be sourced from the Mina Abdullah refinery. The project will also entail the construction of a flue gas de-sulphurisation (FGD) unit, which will be used to produce gypsum.

The calcined coke is targeted for export to regional aluminium producers, while the

gypsum will be used locally in the construction industry. Total project costs are estimated to be at least $105 million.

Companies have been invited to prequalify by 11 December to bid for the concession. Kuwait Sante Fe is expected to issue the invitation to bid documents by late December. Bids are due to be returned by 16 February. Companies can either bid on their own or through a consortium.

The US' Svedala Industries is the technology provider for the proposed coke calcination plant. The local Global Investment House is acting as financial adviser for the scheme.