LONDON, 20 October 2005 — Saudi Aramco has shortlisted three US oil majors as potential partners to build a 400,000-barrels-per-day export-oriented refinery in Yanbu, industry newsletter Oil Daily reported yesterday. The newsletter said ConocoPhillips, Chevron and ExxonMobil had been short-listed, with ConocoPhillips likely to be the front-runner. Saudi Aramco in Dhahran declined comment on the report, and the three US oil companies were unavailable for comment. The Middle East oil major unveiled the $4-$5 billion project in April, saying it wanted to form a joint venture with one or more international partners for the plant.