Seven companies are understood to be prequalified for the first package, which covers the construction of the 250,000-tonne-a-year (t/y) benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) compound plant, and a 60,000-t/y butene-1 facility.

They are: Oslo-based Aker Kvaerner; the UK's AMEC; Taiwan-based CTCI; Germany's Linde; South Korea's Samsung Engineering Company; Toyo Engineering Corporationof Japan; and Paris-based Technip.

Under the proposed bidding schedule, technical bids and initial price offers will be submitted on 6 January. Companies, which pass technical evaluation, will have until 6 March to submit a final price. The client says it will award the estimated $300 million-400 million lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) contract a week later.

The second package, worth an estimated $400 million, involves the construction of the 500,000-t/y high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit. About five contractors, including the project's front-end engineering and design (FEED) contractor, Uhdeof Germany, are understood to be prequalified for the work.

Technology for the HDPE plant has been licensed from Europe's Basell. For the butene-1 unit, the US' UOP is the technology provider, while Houston-based GTC Technology is the technology licence holder for the BTX facility.

US-based Foster Wheeleris the project management consultant (PMC) on the project. ABN Amrowith Saudi Hollandi Bankis the financial adviser. The client on the development is Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic- MEED 30:9:05; 16:9:05; 22:7:05).