Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) has approached design, management and technology contractors over plans to build $500m-plus of new downstream facilities at its Ruwais refining complex.

The state refiner asked engineering and technology firms to formally express their interest in five technology licenses, a front-end engineering and design (Feed) contract and a project management consultancy (PMC) in early June, sources close to the project say.

It issued bid documents for the Feed contract on 1 August and should issue bid documents related to the PMC before the start of Ramadan in mid August.

The project is primarily focused on the construction of a new carbon black plant at Ruwais. Carbon black is a product of partly-incinerated heavy fuel oils, which are used in the manufacture of car tyres and plastics.

It also covers the construction of an integrated delayed coker unit and hydrogen processing facilities. A coker unit takes heavy oil by-products  from a main refining units and breaks them down into lighter, more saleable products while producing ‘coke’ which can be used in the manufacture of metals and plastics.

Firms interested in the Feed and PMC contracts will submit bids for the deals in the fourth quarter of the year and Takreer wants to award the contract by the end of 2010.

The contracts are part of the first major scheme the company has tendered since it awarded almost $10bn of engineering, procurement and construction deals for the expansion of the Ruwais complex in November 2009.