Aramco Secures $3.3Bln Contracts to Build Gas Facility in Saudi Arabia

A view of an Aramco gas plant in the city of Julail, Saudi Arabia. (Aramco)
A view of an Aramco gas plant in the city of Julail, Saudi Arabia. (Aramco)
TT

Aramco Secures $3.3Bln Contracts to Build Gas Facility in Saudi Arabia

A view of an Aramco gas plant in the city of Julail, Saudi Arabia. (Aramco)
A view of an Aramco gas plant in the city of Julail, Saudi Arabia. (Aramco)

Saudi Aramco has awarded contracts worth more than $3.3 billion to Chinese company Sinopec and Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas to build a gas facility in Saudi Arabia.

According to a disclosure on the Spanish Stock Exchange, Sinopec will own 65 percent of the project, and Tecnicas Reunidas will have a 35 percent share.

The statement added that the contracts cover engineering, procurement, and construction, including building liquefied natural gas (LNG) distillation facilities in the Al-Riyas project. They also include the provision of storage and export facilities.

The new facilities that will be developed by the two companies will fractionate 510,000 barrels per day (MBD) of NGLs. The project's expected duration is about 46 months for Package 1 and about 41 months for Package 2.

This is the first project awarded to Tecnicas Reunidas by Saudi Aramco following the Strategic Alliance recently signed by the Spanish company with Sinopec Engineering Group to develop common projects.

The project's primary objective is to enable the fractionation of NGLs, thus producing ethane, propane, butane, and pentane.

In October, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said the company is looking at more investments in LNG to boost its plans to become a leading player in the seaborne gas market.

In September 2023, Aramco signed definitive agreements to acquire a strategic minority stake in MidOcean Energy for $500 million. The company said the agreement with MidOcean Energy marks Aramco’s first international investment in LNG.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
TT

Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.