Saudi Aramco, Dow see “significant progress” on chemical venture
The establishment of Sadara Chemical Company, a planned joint venture under formation between Dow Chemical and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), is making significant progress following the authorization by both companies in late July, officials from Dow said on Tuesday.
The two partners are in the final stages of establishing Sadara, and it is expected that the officer and board member nominees will soon be officially announced, the company said.
The on-line recruitment process for the first in-take of Saudi apprentices commenced in August and the response was overwhelming, with over 6,300 applications received.
Meanwhile, the engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contract bidding process continues, the companies said, with 50% of the capital investment amount already under contract and another 20% out for bid.
It is expected that all invitation for bids will be out by end of the year.
“We are pleased with the progress that we have made so far,” said Jim McIlvenny, Dow’s senior vice president for mega projects. “Both Dow and Saudi Aramco are excited at the benefits that this historic partnership is going to bring and we are committed to making Sadara a reality. We certainly look forward to realizing the extraordinary potential that Sadara holds.”
The authorization for Sadara came after an extensive project feasibility study and front-end engineering and design effort which began in 2007.
Sadara will build and operate a world-scale, fully integrated chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Comprising 26 manufacturing units, building on Saudi Aramco’s project management and execution expertise, and utilizing many of Dow’s industry leading technologies, the complex will be one of the world’s largest integrated chemical facilities, and the largest-ever built in one single phase.
Sadara will capitalize on an advantaged cost position, the company said, to create a manufacturing hub providing a differentiated product slate.
That slate will include over 3 million metric tons of value-added performance plastics and chemical products such as polyurethanes (isocyanates, polyether polyols), propylene oxide, propylene glycol, elastomers, linear low-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, glycol ethers and amines to supply rapidly growing markets in energy, transportation, infrastructure and consumer products.
The complex will possess flexible cracking capabilities for a range of feedstocks - to be supplied by Saudi Aramco’s extensive integrated hydrocarbon infrastructure.
Site preparation has already commenced and the first production units are expected to come on line in the second half of 2015, with all units expected to be up and running in 2016.
Once operational, Sadara is expected to deliver annual revenues of approximately $10 billion within a few years of operation and generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities through the complex and integrated value parks.
Total investment for the project, including third party investments, will be approximately $20 billion, according to Dow officials.
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