Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC, Cepsa award engineering contract for Ruwais plant

State energy giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and oil firm Cepsa have awarded a contract to design a linear alkylbenzene plant in Abu Dhabi to Spanish engineering company Tecnicas Reunidas, ADNOC said on Tuesday.

The plant, to be built in the Ruwais Derivatives Park, will be the first derivative unit developed under ADNOC’s Dhs165bn ($45bn) Ruwais downstream investment programme.

ADNOC’s statement did not give the value of the front-end engineering design contract.

The plant making linear alkylbenzene – used to make detergents – will be jointly operated by ADNOC and Cepsa, a Spain-based energy company owned by Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala.

When it comes on-stream, the plant will produce 225,000 tonnes of normal paraffins per year and 150,000 tonnes of linear alkylbenzene per year, the statement said.