Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil JV completes clean fuels project

Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Limited (SAMREF), a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, has completed construction of major desulfurisation facilities, including a new hydrotreater, that dramatically cuts sulfur levels in gasoline and diesel. The project is the largest investment in SAMREF’s history and will reduce the sulfur levels in gasoline and diesel by more than 98 percent, to 10 parts per million, which makes the refinery an industry leader in emissions reduction.
 
“Our long-term partnership benefits from the technology and innovation from both companies. Our refinery will continue to be an industry leader throughout the Middle East and in the global market place well into the future. It is also testimony of Saudi Arabia’s long-standing role as a reliable energy supplier to key geographic areas of the world,” said Khalid Al-Falih, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco.
 
Darren Woods, senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation, said, “We continue to apply advantaged technology that will deliver world-class products that contribute to the fuels value chain. The successful, recent startup of the clean fuels project illustrates the refinery’s advancements and preparations to meet global energy demands.”
 
SAMREF is a joint venture between the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc (a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation). The SAMREF refinery complex was formed for the development, construction, ownership and operation of crude oil refining facilities in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Following the construction and start-up of the facilities, it commenced operations in late 1984.