Dow, Aramco Open Specialty Chemicals Plant in Saudi Arabia

Officials from Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company held a ceremony on Monday to mark the commissioning of its integrated chemicals production complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia operated under a joint venture dubbed the Sadara Chemical Company.

Billed by the firms as “the world’s largest integrated complex ever built in a single phase,” the event transpired as Sadara commissioned the last of 26 plants built in the PlasChem Park complex, an isocyanates section that commenced production of “crude quantities” of toluene di isocyanate (TDI) this week and some other specialty chemicals in April. Reuters reported Monday that $20 billion was invested in the compelx

“Sadara has been bringing its chemical plants on-stream in a carefully planned sequence and will produce more than three million tons of high-value performance plastics and specialty chemical products annually,” a Dow press release said.

The Jubail site’s mix feed cracker became operational in August 2016, and four polyethylene production units have gone live between late 2015 and early this year, the firm said. A range of specialty chemicals are manufactured at the complex, including propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, amines, and polyether polyols.

“Sadara’s slate of high-value chemicals, including many firsts for the Kingdom and the region, will create the quality performance, value-added and plastics products that support a higher living standard around the world, especially in the emerging Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern markets that will drive two-thirds of global petrochemical demand over the next decade,” said Chairman of Saudi Aramco Excellency Khalid A. Al-Falih in Dow’s press release.

Dow said the building the complex involved the largest FDI in the Saudi Arabian petrochemical industry to date.

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