Difficulties during the mechanical commissioning caused the delay, one source told Reuters.
The capacity at Juaymah plant is increased by around 50% to hold elevated volumes of petrochemical feedstock ethane and light oils that form when gas is extracted, called natural gas liquids (NGLs). The increased ethane and NGL production comes from the expansion of the Hawiyah gas plant and the building of the Khursaniyah gas plant.
The expansion of Hawiyah gas plant will start in August-September 2009, a source working on the project said.
Additionally, 800 million cubic feet per day (cfd) of non-associated gas will be processed by the plant, increasing the plant’s capacity to 2.4 bcfd.
Mechanical completion of the plant will be by the end of August, he said.
The Khursaniyah gas plant scheduled to start in October 2009 was postponed around two years from the planned start date of December 2007. 1bcfd of gas will be processed by the plant from the 500,000 bpd Khursaniyah oilfield, which started production in 2008.
