The lump-sum turnkey contract, which was won against international competition, calls for the new unit to come on stream by late 2004. It will have a capacity of 3,000 tonnes a day (t/d) of oxygen, as well as some nitrogen, argon, krypton and xenon using cryogenic technology. The engineering work was carried out jointly by the Sabic engineering and project management division and GAS.

GAS has an existing capacity of 5,600 t/d at its Jubail and Yanbu bases and is the largest supplier of industrial gas in the Middle East. GAS was established in 1983, and is a 70:30 joint venture between Sabic and local industrial investors.

Linde has worked on past GAS projects and is now working with another Sabic affiliate, Jubail United Petrochemical Company, on a new technology the companies have developed to be used for a proposed alpha olefins plant.