Canada's SNC-Lavalin is in the advanced stages of detailed engineering work for Saudi Aramco’s gas-oil separation plant (GOSP) expansion project at the Berri oil field development.

SNC-Lavalin, which was awarded the front-end engineering and design (feed) contract for the Berri GOSP expansion in April last year, has already completed the design work on the project, Cris Dedigama, executive VP of Europe, Middle-East and Africa in the Oil & Gas business of SNC-Lavalin told MEED.

“The Berri gas-oil separation plant expansion is a major engineering project," the executive says. "We [SNC-Lavalin] are heavily involved in interacting with Saudi Aramco as a customer on that project ... doing all modern aspects of design that Aramco demands.

“The design has been completed and we are pretty much close to completing the detailed engineering. We are fabricating a number of modules from our facilities in the US."

The value of SNC-Lavalin’s Feed contract is not known.

The objective of the project is to expand the Berri gas plant in Jubail to enable it to recover more natural gas liquids (NGL) and sulphur from low-pressure gas.

The project comprises the GOSP at the existing Abu Ali gas plant, as well as additional facilities at the Khursaniyah gas plant that will process 40 million barrels a day of hydrocarbon condensate, all associated with the mega Berri Crude Increment programme.

The scope of work includes:

• Gas-oil separation plant
• NGL Recovery
• Drilling works
• Sulphur recovery unit
• Associated facilities

Aramco is expected to issue the invitation to bid for the project’s main contract in October.