State-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) is preparing to start the prequalification of bidders for the planned Al-Zour Petrochemical Complex.

Prequalification documents for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2018, according to an industry source.

The project is estimated to be worth more than $6bn.

It is not yet known whether the scheme will be broken down into a number of smaller packages.

The UK's Wood Group is carrying out the front end engineering design (feed) work for the project.

Honeywell UOP was announced as the technology provider for the project in November.

The petrochemical facility will be integrated with the $17bn Al Zour New Refinery Project.

When completed it will be the largest integrated refinery and petrochemicals plant in Kuwait.

It will produce aromatics and propylene and is a key part of Kuwait’s broader industrial strategy.

The petrochemical project includes a 50,000 barrels a day (b/d) residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) complex with ethylene and propylene recovery.

A 24,000 b/d gasoline desulphorisation unit, two units to treat propane for propylene production.

It will be capable of converting butane to isobutane and producing clean-fuels blending components, including methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).

The facility will include a 66,000 b/d continuous catalyst regeneration (CCR) platforming unit with a 74,000 b/d naphtha hydrotreater to make gasoline blend stock.

It also includes an aromatics complex that will have the capacity to make to make 1.4 million metric tons of paraxylene a year.

A propane dehydrogenation unit will produce 660,000 metric tons per year of polymer-grade propylene.

Front end engineering design (feed) work for the planned petrochemicals plant is expected to be completed at the end of June 2018.

The main EPC contracts for the New Refinery Project were awarded in mid-2015 and are currently under execution.

On 16 December KIPIC denied that he refinery project was delayed. It said that work was proceeding on schedule and the refinery would start operations in May 2019.

KIPIC said that the refinery is 45 per cent complete and the associated LNG facility is 21 per cent complete.