At the Middle East Petrochemicals Outlook Conference, Dubai, industry leaders from around the world discussed the continuing shift of petrochemicals production from established bases in Europe and the U.S. to the Middle East, where 50% of planned global ethylene capacity will be built. The produce will be supplied to the fast-growing markets in China and Asia, where competition will be fierce in the coming years. The Middle East will become pivotal in global chemicals trade and the location of several new projects, sponsored by regional governments as well as the private sector.
Qatar, owner of the world's largest gas field, has an aggressive investment program in petrochemicals, with plans to become the world's future petrochemical hub. Qatar's ethylene capacity will rise to 2.5 million metric tpa by the end of 2008, and to over 6 million metric tpa when separate joint ventures with ExxonMobil, Honam Petrochemical and Shell come on line at the beginning of the next decade.
However, one opinion was that competitive edge of Middle East producers could erode, because high demand for polypropylene and other derivatives of liquid naphtha-based ethylene crackers cannot be fulfilled from the gas-based ethylene crackers in the Middle East.
13-Mar-06 
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