Saudi Aramco has held a pre-tender meeting with shortlisted contractors for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages on its Alhada gas processing plant expansion, located roughly 85 kilometres northwest of Jubail in the Eastern Province.

The Alhada expansion supports Aramco’s strategic target to boost domestic gas production capacity by 80% over 2021 levels by 2030.

Aramco issued a solicitation of interest for the EPC works in early September, with contractors submitting responses by 17 September. Following that round, Aramco hosted the pre-tender briefing on 29 and 30 October, according to sources familiar with the project.

The meeting took place at the Reading, England offices of UK engineering firm Wood, which is carrying out the project’s front-end engineering and design (feed) work.

“The purpose of the meeting was to brief interested contractors about the different aspects of the Alhada project, Aramco’s objectives from the project and expected timelines, among other things,” one source said.

“As many as 15 contractors may have attended the meeting in the UK,” another source added.

Aramco has divided the EPC scope of work on the Alhada gas processing plant expansion into three main packages:

Package 1: Main Gas Treatment Facilities

Three gas processing trains Three acid gas removal units Triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydration unit Two high-pressure and two low-pressure flares Two flare gas recovery units Two T&I flares and two burn pits Digital twin integration

The acid gas removal units will treat sour gas by extracting hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide to yield sales gas, while supplying acid-gas feedstock to downstream enrichment and sulfur recovery units. The system will also process streams from the flare gas recovery units via a dedicated amine contactor for internal fuel gas use, followed by TEG dehydration to bring sales gas to pipeline specifications.

Package 2: Sulphur Recovery

Sulphur recovery units and associated processing facilities

Package 3: Utilities & Offsites

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) inlet channels, common utilities and supporting infrastructure

Aramco is expected to issue the formal EPC tenders to contractors by the end of the year, according to sources.

ALSO READ: Aramco commissions Zuluf field oil increment project