Dow-Saudi Aramco megaplex to produce polymers by 2013

24-May-07

The Ras Tanura petrochemical complex in the Middle East is expected to start producing a huge range of basic chemicals and downstream polymers by 2013, according to partners Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco. The $20 billion complex will involve 30 world-class facilities that will make ethylene, ethylene oxide and glycol, propylene, propylene oxide and glycol,aromatic and chlorine derivatives, chlor-alkalis, amines and glycol ethers, vinyl chloride monomer, polyurethane components, epoxy resins, polyethylene and polycarbonate. The petrochemical operations will be integrated with Saudi Aramco's nearby refinery complex and its Ju'aymah gas processing plant, which will supply feedstock to the joint-venture petrochemical complex. The project has been under development since last summer and will be the world's largest petrochemicals complex with 4 million tons of upstream products and 7 million tons of downstream products.