Cepsa and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate a new linear alkyl benzene (LAB) complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, the Spanish energy and petrochemicals major said on Wednesday.
The companies, which are both fully owned by the UAE’s sovereign investment fund Mubadala, plan to begin basic engineering of the proposed LAB complex in 2018.
Financial details were not disclosed.
The two companies plan to integrate the facility with the Ruwais refinery complex.
LAB is used in the manufacture of biodegradable household and industrial detergents and is also used in house cleaners, fabric softeners and soap bars.
Cepsa said it expects the LAB market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5% between 2016 and 2030.
“ADNOC and Cepsa bring complementary strengths to the project, ADNOC providing resources and expertise in the feedstock area from its state-of-the-art refinery in Ruwais, while Cepsa as a LAB market leader,” said Cepsa CEO Pedro Miro.
“This agreement provides the opportunity to work with Cepsa to identify areas for mutual collaboration that will contribute to our plans to maximise the value from every barrel we produce,” said Abdulaziz Abdulla Alhajri, downstream director of ADNOC.
By Niall Swan
Source: ICIS News
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