Saudi Aramco and Petrochina are to be honored as refining & energy companies of the year at the 23rd annual presentation of Hart Energy Publishing's Refining & Energy Company of the Year Awards that will take place Wednesday (March 24) at the Sheraton Phoenix Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. Accepting the award on behalf of Saudi Aramco will be Dawood M. Al-Dawood, vice president for Marketing, Supply, and Joint Venture Coordination, Saudi Aramco. The annual awards are part of Hart's Executive Briefing “Refining, Fuels & Biofuels Working Together Towards a Clean & Sustainable Future”. This year's honorees are Saudi Aramco, the Energy Company of the Year Honoree, and Petrochina, the International Honoree. “For 23 years, we at Hart have had a long history of recognizing excellence in both Global Energy and North American Refining,” said Frederick L. Potter, executive vice president, Hart Energy Publishing. “As the world demands more integration and excellence from the oilfield to global refining centers, these companies exemplify the traditions that are embodied in this prestigious award. They are dedicated to further investment in the refining and energy sectors, improving the quality of their products, and raising the financial, environmental, and health-and-safety performance of their refining and energy operations.” In 2009, Saudi Aramco demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence. For 75 years, Saudi Aramco has been committed to increasing its oil production capacity to supply its customers. Hart recognition clearly understands that true energy security requires surplus capacity to effectively supply global customers and meet changing global needs. Over the last five years Saudi Aramco has spent more than $62 billion to increase its production capacity to more than 12 million b/d. In mid-2009, it brought on stream the Khurais Field, a 1.2-million bbl/d Arab Light oil field,. In terms of capacity, it is the 4th largest oilfield in the world and represents a major investment by Saudi Aramco. The PetroRabigh project demonstrates the commitment to continued investment by Saudi Aramco. It is a major integration of refining, gas and petrochemicals. The total project is still under construction/development, but in May 09 it officially began operations with a segment starting up. The company's strong commitment to R&D is demonstrated by two major research centers with state-of-the art computer technology, the Advanced Research Center of the company's Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center, or EXPEC ARC and the new Research and Development Center in Dhahran, a recently opened new university and many investments in R&D for fuel desulfurization, including tests to deploy bacteria that act as a catalyst to remove sulfur from fuels. In selecting the Refiner of the Year, the editorial staff of FUEL magazine and Hart Energy Publishing, LP considers personal and corporate achievement in three primary categories: Cleaner Environment: Producing cleaner, higher-quality gasoline and diesel fuel is among the greatest achievements recognized each year. Investment and Corporate Growth: The award recognizes the highest operational standards for international refining. Recipients also demonstrate innovative use of resources, often in a difficult environment. Vision: The recipients are recognized for their innovation, global vision and their ability to look into the future, as responding only to current conditions will not fully meet the rising demands of the public, or benefit industry. Both Petrochina and Saudi Aramco have exemplified the rich traditions of this prestigious award. In 2009, Petrochina put internationalization at the top of its strategy. Some of the notable achievements include Topping the list of the largest energy companies, with a market capitalization of $353.1 billion, Purchasing 45.51 percent of Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (“SPC”) and a 49 percent stake in Nippon Oil Corp's Osaka refinery, as well as confirming a giant $6-billion joint venture refinery between state energy firm CNPC and Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA, With a remarkable 5+ percent increase in petroleum demand per year, over the past 10 years, Petrochina has been working hard to secure raw material and product security, as demonstrated in their recent agreement with Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. (“AOSC”) to jointly develop the oil sands projects at MacKay River and Dover. A commitment to a cleaner environment, as they follow the strict Chinese product quality requirements of 50 ppm in Beijing and 150ppm elsewhere in their gasoline. Accepting the award for Petrochina will be Mrs. Qian Jinhua, senior director, Science and Technology Management Division, Petrochina Company Ltd. __
