When completed in 2008, the new gas-oil separation plant will produce 250,000 barrels of high-quality Arab Extra Light.
The massive construction project is a team effort of Saudi Aramco; international contractors SNC Lavalin, Hyundai Heavy Industries and NEC; and in-Kingdom major subcontractors NESMA, NCC and Al-Falak. Each has a specific segment of the Shaybah project to complete.
Under the theme "Shaybah Stars," a construction kickoff meeting and groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 7 was attended by Saudi Aramco and contractor representatives. Majdi M. Al-Tamimi, manager of the Central and Western Region Projects Department, laid the foundation stone, marking the start of construction for the new GOSP.
Osamah A. Al-Junaid, senior project manager of the Shaybah Expansion Division, reminded those present that Saudi Aramco and its contractors are undertaking a program of monumental importance and weight for Saudi Arabia. He explained the program's goals, Saudization levels and milestones.The program marks the expansion of an oil field that is among the most remote in Saudi Arabia, about 900 kilometers from Dhahran in the Rub' al-Khali. Those who have been there agree that the location, topography and climate make the area both challenging and interesting.
Salt flats, called sabkhas, of about two square kilometers each are interspersed among sand dunes up to 200 meters high. In summer, temperatures can reach 52 degrees centigrade, or 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Article by Feras S. Al-Baiyat
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