Saudi delegation visits Gwadar, discusses oil refinery

KARACHI: A Saudi delegation held a meeting with Pakistani authorities in Gwadar to discuss the project feasibility and details of an oil refinery the Kingdom plans to build in the port city, said an official on Wednesday.A planning committee of the Saudi Aramco oil company discussed the feasibility of the oil refinery in Gwadar today,” Muneer Ahmed, Operations Head at the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), told Arab News.
Pakistan signed a $10 billion oil refinery deal with the Saudi oil company during the official visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in February this year.
Last month, a high-level Saudi delegation held talks with Pakistani officials in Islamabad to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including refining, mining, and renewable energy sectors.
The Pakistani side was represented by Federal Minister for Power and Petroleum Omar Ayub Khan, while the Saudi delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer.
Ahmed said that Wednesday’s meeting in Gwadar was the sequel of the one held in Islamabad to take the much-needed project forward.
“The delegation also included two British experts who discussed the feasibility, including the site plan for refinery in the Gwadar petroleum city, matters related to connectivity, local rules and regulations and other relevant issues in detail,” the official said, adding that the delegation would submit its report to the authorities in Saudi Arabia after which the investment was expected to arrive soon.
“Today’s meeting was a major step forward,” Ahmed said, hoping that the Saudi oil refinery would soon be set up.