Saudi Aramco and Total Energy join hands to create world-class petrochemical complex "Amiral"

Saudi Arabia's oil giant Saudi Aramco and French energy giant Total Energy (TotalEnergies) are working together on an ambitious petrochemical project called "Amiral". The project aims to build a modern and efficient petrochemical platform with deep integration with the existing SATORP refinery. The final investment decision was jointly made in late 2022, marking the official launch of this world-class project.

Project background and strategic significance

since 1974, Total Energy has established roots in Saudi Arabia and continues to expand large-scale energy projects in the country. Today, the "Amiral" project is its latest milestone. The project is not only in line with Total Energy's long-term strategy to develop petrochemicals in growth markets by maximizing synergies, but also demonstrates Saudi Aramco's firm determination to promote the development of the country's petrochemical industry.

Project Overview and Investment

the "Amiral" petrochemical complex will be located in the Jubail industrial zone on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, closely linked to the SATORP refinery. The joint venture is jointly operated by Saudi Aramco (62.5 per cent) and Total Energy (37.5 per cent), with a total investment of $11 billion. Construction of the project is expected to kick off in 2023 and it is planned to be put into commercial operation in 2027.

Core facilities and production capacity

the "Amiral" project will cover a range of key petrochemical facilities, with the aim of making full use of the SATORP refinery and local resources. These include:

• mixed feed cracking unit: The unit can handle a variety of low-cost raw materials, with an annual ethylene production capacity of up to 1.65 million tons.
• Polyethylene Production Line: The two production lines each have a production capacity of 500000 tons/year, which will greatly increase the supply capacity of petrochemical products.
• High value-added derivatives production plant: Used to extract butadiene and aromatics and produce a range of high value-added derivatives.

In particular, the "Amiral" project will make full use of raw materials directly produced by the SATORP refinery, such as waste gas and naphtha, as well as ethane and light naphtha provided by Saudi Aramco, to achieve efficient conversion of raw materials.

Park Construction and Industrial Collaboration

in the Jubail industrial zone, the "Amiral" project will also build a special chemical park. The park will attract companies that want to do business locally in Saudi Arabia to jointly support the creation and development of key manufacturing activities such as carbon fiber, lubricants, special fluids, detergents, additives and auto parts. This will not only help promote the improvement of the Saudi petrochemical industry chain, but also inject new vitality into the local economy.

In summary, the implementation of the "Amiral" project not only marks the deep cooperation between Saudi Aramco and Total Energy in the petrochemical field, but also will have a profound impact on the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia and the world. With the gradual progress of the project, we have reason to believe that "Amiral" will become a shining business card for the Saudi petrochemical industry.