At least four companies submitted technical bids on 8 April to Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) for the contract to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services on its planned world-scale aromatics complex at Ruwais.

The bidders are Mustang Engineering and Washington Group International, both of the US, the US-based Black & Veatch and WorleyParsons of Australia. Commercial bids are expected to be submitted by late May (MEED 10:3:06).

Known as the gasoline and aromatics expansion (GAE) scheme, the estimated $750 million-1,000 million project involves the production of 600,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of paraxylene through naphtha reforming, with an option to produce 335,000-775,000 t/y of benzene and 3.8 million-4.9 million t/y of gasoline. The project will take about 40 months to build.

The next stage in the project implementation will be the issue of a tender for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) package. Companies interested in participating in the tender are expected to include Paris-based Technip, the US' Fluor Corporation, Mustang and WorleyParsons.

The US' Jacobs Engineering has prepared the project's economic model, while US-based Foster Wheeler has carried out the initial feasibility study. Houston-based Purvin &Gertz is carrying out a marketing study.