Saudi Aramco and Total are building a $9.6bn export refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The project is being executed by Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP), a joint venture established by the two companies under an agreement signed in June 2008. Saudi Aramco owns 62.5% in SATORP while the remaining 37.5% is owned by Total.

The new refinery will treat 400,000 barrels a day of heavy crude oil to produce diesel and jet fuel.

It will also produce 700,000t of paraxylene, 140,000t of benzene and 200,000t of propylene per year. Its construction is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2013.

The plant will be one of the most advanced in the world, manufacturing products that conform to global standards. It will generate 1,200 direct jobs and another six indirect jobs.

The refinery will cover an area of 1,200 acres with a total built up area of 70,000m². It will feature distillation and hydrotreating units, conversion units, sulphur / amine units, aromatics unit, plant and auxiliary utilities, a tank farm, pipeline and offsites, and a port tank farm.

Construction works at the site started in the last quarter of 2010. Nearly 30,000 personnel are involved in construction of the refinery during peak activity.