Saudi Aramco has invited 20 companies to submit bids to build a $250m bulk plant at Wasea, southeast of Riyadh.

Contractors have been asked to file bids by 14 November and an award is due by 20 December. Aramco has set a deadline of 29 February 2012 for the successful contractor to complete the plant.

The plant will handle an increase in petrol, diesel and fuel oil supplies to the region, with capacity to handle 185,000 barrels a day (b/d) of oil. Local firm Dar al-Riyadh is the design contractor on the project.

The winning contractor will build tanks, petrol and diesel-loading pumps, and substation buildings, and will carry out general civil and structural works (MEED 21:8:09).

The 20 companies that attended Aramco’s job explanation meeting on 29 September included various Asian contractors including China’s Sinopec, South Korea’s SK Engineering & Construction and India’s Punj Lloyd.

Aramco is expected to award a separate $300m contract to expand 12 existing bulk plants that serve as oil distribution centres by the end of October. The local MS al-Suwaidi Industrial Services Company is frontrunner to win the deal (MEED 25:9:09).

The contract covers bulk plants in the Eastern Province, the central, southwest and northwest regions of the kingdom.