Saudi Aramco and France’s Total, partners in the 440,000 b/d Satorp refinery at Jubail on the Saudi Gulf coast, on 31 January signed an MoU with Korea’s Daelim for the latter to build an 80,000 t/y polyisobutylene (PIB) plant in a petchems complex being integrated with the refinery. Front end engineering design (FEED) for the project will begin this month for conclusion by the end of the year. Daelim is aiming for plant start-up in 2024. The project will be the first in the kingdom to produce PIB, a synthetic rubber used in tyre linings and bicycle inner tubes. The plant will process mixed C4 hydrocarbons feedstock from the refinery. Aramco and Total will build a $5bn, 1.5mn t/y mixed feed cracker and 800,000 t/y polyethylene plant at Satorp, also for start-up in 2024 (MEES, 12 October 2018).