Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 26 -- Algeria’s Sonatrach has received bids from four international companies for the contract to perform front-end engineering and design services for the Tiaret refinery project.

The bidders are Technip, Sinopec, Saipem, and CB&I Lummus.

The 300,000 b/d refinery, which is expected to cost $6 billion to build, is scheduled to start up in 2014, and will produce gas oil, gasoline, kerosine, butane, propane, and naphtha for both export and domestic consumption.

Contact Eric Watkins at hippalus@yahoo.com.