Two other groups - South Korea's GS Engineering & Construction, with Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas, and Italy's Tecnimont, with South Korea's Daewoo Engineering & Construction- submitted technical and commercial bids for the contract, which involves the construction of a 350,000-tonne-a-year (t/y) high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit and an alpha olefins plant of similar capacity. Technology for the two units will be provided by Q-Chem II's foreign shareholder, the US' ChevronPhillips Chemical Company. The majority shareholder in Q-Chem II is Qatar Petroleum (QP).

The Mesaieed complex will be provided with ethylene feedstock from the 1.3 million-t/y Ras Laffan ethane cracker, for which the technology-cum-EPC package was awarded to Paris-based Technip in April (MEED 22:4:05). The cracker will also supply feedstock to the 450,000-t/y linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant planned by the local/French Qatofinat Mesaieed.

Three companies - Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Italy's Snamprogettiand Germany's Linde- are due to submit commercial bids on 11 September for the Qatofin EPC contract (MEED 2:9:05).