State-run Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) has invited companies to submit prequalification bids for the main contracts for two key plants within its mega $7.8bn Al-Zour petrochemicals complex project.

KIPIC has invited contractors to prequalify for the planned Olefins 3 and Aromatics 2 plants to be developed at the Al-Zour complex.

Companies have until 20 September to submit prequalification bids for the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for both jobs.

The Olefins 3 block is estimated to be worth $1.5bn, while the Aromatics 2 plant is valued at $5bn.

The third parcel within the Al-Zour petrochemicals complex is a $1.3bn gasoline block. The expression of interest (EOI) is expected to be issued by the client in August.

The UK’s Wood Group is doing the front-end engineering and design (feed) work on the megaproject.

Following the financial success of the Olefins 1 and 2 complexes, KIPIC is going ahead with the construction of the third Olefins block within the Petrochemical Refinery Integration Al-Zour (Prize) scheme.

The Aromatics 2 complex will also be integrated with Olefins 3 and the Al-Zour Refinery. It will convert butane to isobutane and produce clean-fuels blending components including methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).

The Al-Zour petrochemicals complex will produce 940,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of polypropylene, 1.4 million t/y of paraxylene, 420,000 t/y of gasoline, and 208,900 t/y of fuel using propane and naphtha from the nearby Al-Zour Refinery.

Work on the petrochemicals project is set to be completed in the third quarter of 2023, with commissioning scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.