Aramco, Petronas Close to Raising $8b Loan

Saudi Arabian Oil Company and Malaysia’s state-owned oil firm are close to raising an $8 billion loan to partly finance the construction of a planned refinery and a petrochemical complex in the Southeast Asian nation, people familiar with the matter said. The Middle Eastern oil giant, known as Aramco, and Petroliam Nasional Bhd. could sign the loan agreement as early as next month, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private, Bloomberg reported.  BNP Paribas SA, HSBC Holdings Plc and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. are among lenders that have agreed to provide financing, the people said. The complex is part of a $27 billion project known as Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development, or RAPID, in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor that’s due to come on stream in 2019.  Aramco agreed to invest $7 billion for half of the oil refinery and petrochemical plant last February, as it seeks to defend its status as the world’s biggest crude exporter in Asia.