Three firms to submit bids for Abu Dhabi cracker job



by Construction Week News Team

Contractors Linde, Shaw Group and Snamprogetti will submit bids this weekend for the construction of a new ethylene cracker in Abu Dhabi for plastics manufacturing giant, Borouge.

It forms part of the multi-billion dollar Borouge Two expansion of the company’s Ruwais facility in the emirate.

Borouge Two is one of the world’s largest plastics projects and is a key part of Borouge’s strategy for growth, tripling its production capacity and consolidating its position in markets throughout the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

The project comprises an ethane cracker that will produce 1.4 million tonnes of ethylene per annum, and the world’s biggest olefins conversion unit, capable of producing 752 kilotonnes per annum. It will be located next to Borouge’s existing petrochemical complex in Ruwais.

Borouge has also invited expressions of interest for a distribution and storage operations hub in South-East Asia; a distribution and storage operations hub in the UAE; two distribution and storage operations hubs in North East Asia; container and product handling in Ruwais, UAE; and for global shipping between hubs in the Middle East, North East Asia and South East Asia, including ports of destination.


Chief executive, Hubert Puchner, said: “Together, these facilities will put in place the integrated, flexible and competitive supply chain needed to support Borouge’s expanded market positions and broader product portfolio.”

For the olefins conversion unit package of Borouge Two, Borouge has also commenced the pre-qualification process with selected potential bidders.

For the utilities and offsite package, invitations to bidders to provide utilities and offsite facilities have been sent to the market with technical bids due in the second half of November 2006.

The prequalification process is already underway for the Olefins conversion unit package.