Bahrain state oil firm Bapco has received four bids for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to expand the Sitra refinery’s crude distillation capacity from 267,000 b/d to 360,000 b/d and install upgrading units to improve products quality.

Bapco is looking to award the EPC contract in the first half of 2017 with a view to having the expanded plant fully operational by the end of 2020. The refinery expansion will take place at the same time as construction of a new 350,000 b/d pipeline – which will replace an aging 230,000 b/d pipeline – to bring some of the plant’s feedstock from Saudi Arabia (MEES, 18 December 2015). (CONTINUED - 155 WORDS)