Petronas to raise RM29.5bil for Rapid

A Petronas fuel station is seen with the Petronas Twin Towers in the background in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Picture taken February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Olivia Harris

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is seeking to raise US$7.2bil (RM29.5bil) for its Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project in one of the largest project financings from Asia in recent years, Thomson Reuters LPC reported on Wednesday.

The state-owned oil company has asked banks for underwriting commitments of at least US$500mil (RM2.0bil) by next week, LPC reported, citing sources.

A banking source confirmed to Reuters that Petronas has issued a request for proposals for the loan to be used to finance the US$16bil (RM65.5bil) Rapid project.

Petronas did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The project in the southern state of Johor is set to be Malaysia’s largest liquid-based green-field downstream development. It will consist of a 300,000-barrels-per-day refinery and petrochemical complex, with a combined chemical output capacity of 7.7 million metric tonnes per year. - Reuters