SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Royal Commission grants approval for five PC projects costing USD 5.6 billion

The Al-Jubail Petrochemical Co. joint venture of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and ExxonMobil has been cleared for a SR 12 billion project to produce more than 400,000 t/y of carbon black, thermoplastic specialty polymers and rubber, including ethylene propylene diene monomer, butyl, styrene butadiene and polybutadiene rubber.

Also approved were Saudi International Petrochemical Co.’s SR 2.8 billion, 200,000 t/y ethylene vinyl acetate and low-density polyethylene plant, and Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co.’s 1.1 million t/y urea project, costing SR 2 billion.

Jubail Chemical Industries Co. has received clearance to set up a SR 3 billion complex that will produce 600,000 t/y of products used in several downstream industries.  The company last year awarded Jacobs Engineering a contract for a 30,000 t/y epichlorohydrin facility in Jubail.

Approval was also granted to National Industrialization Co., who, in a joint venture with Evonik and Sahara Petrochemicals, is building a SR 1.4 billion, 80,000 t/y superabsorbent polymers plant.

Source: Weekly "PetroChemical News", Durham, NC, USA; 20 Feb 2012

(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)