Cepsa, ADNOC sign project deal for new facility in UAE

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a project development agreement with Spain’s Cepsa for a new, world-scale Linear Alkylbenzene (LAB) facility in ADNOC’s refining and petrochemicals complex in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates.

The LAB manufacturing facility is in line with ADNOC’s US $45-billion investment to upgrade the refining and petrochemical capabilities of its Ruwais Industrial Complex, further supporting its downstream strategy.

It will be fully integrated within the ADNOC Refining complex, taking feedstocks of kerosene and benzene. LAB is the most common raw material in biodegradable household and industrial detergents, and is also used in house cleaners and soap bars.

The facility is expected to have a production capacity of 150,000 tons per year of LAB upon completion.

Cepsa, a Spanish integrated oil company wholly owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, has more than five decades of experience in LAB.

“We are pleased to be moving forward with our partnership with Cepsa, through its chemical business to develop a new LAB facility in Ruwais. As we expand downstream and grow our refining capacity and capabilities, we will be able to expand the number of new products and value chains we can create,” said Abdulaziz Al Hajri, Downstream Director at ADNOC.