Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) said it has joined hands with Cepsa, a Spanish integrated energy major wholly-owned by Mubadala Investment Company, to evaluate a new world-scale Linear Alkyl Benzene (Lab) complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi.

Lab is the most common raw material in the manufacture of biodegradable household and industrial detergents. It is also used in house cleaners, fabric softeners, and soap bars.

"This agreement provides the opportunity to work with Cepsa to identify areas for mutual collaboration that will contribute to our plans to maximise the value from every barrel we produce," remarked Abdulaziz Al Hajri, the downstream director of Adnoc, after signing the agreement with Pedro Miro, the CEO of Cepsa.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry, member of the board of directors of Mubadala Investment Company and chairman of Cepsa, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, and Adnoc Group CEO, and Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of the Petroleum and Petrochemicals in Mubadala Investment Company.

As per the deal, both the companies plan to progress the basic engineering of the proposed Lab complex in 2018.

It is envisaged that the facility will be integrated with the Ruwais refinery complex, and will incorporate Detal-Plus technology, jointly developed by Cespa and UOP, a leading international supplier and technology licensor for the petroleum refining, gas processing and petrochemical production..

Adnoc has a rich history of working with partners to unlock opportunities in its operations.

"Such partnerships continue to be an important enabler of our growth strategy and we see exciting opportunities ahead. We look forward to working with companies, such as Cepsa, to realise our ambitious growth goals," stated Al Hajri.

The Indian Ocean Basin Lab market is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 5 per cent between 2016 and 2030, according to the latest market research, conducted by Colin A. Houston and Associates, a leading global market research and advisory company.

Cepsa pointed out that it has similar growth aspirations and over five decades of experience in Lab.

"Adnoc and Cepsa bring complementary strengths to the project," stated Miro.

"The Abu Dhabi firm provides resources and expertise in the feedstock area from its state-of-the-art refinery in Ruwais, while Cepsa as a Lab market leader, provides the leading technology, Detal-Plus coupled with commercial and operational expertise," he added. -TradeArabia News Service