SABIC plans expansion to double capacity at Ibn Rushd

15-Feb-10

Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) plans expansion at its affiliate Arabian Industrial Fibers Co. (Ibn Rushd), in which it holds 47.2% stake. Ibn Rushd's complex in Yanbu, produces 350,000 tpa of aromatics, purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyester staples. The expansion will double capacity to 700,000 tpa - boosting capacity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to 750,000 tpa from 330,000 tpa, and aromatics to 600,000 tpa from 350,000 tpa. SABIC plans to boost total production to 130 mln tons of petrochemicals by 2020 from 56 mln tons in 2008, growing in Saudi Arabia, China and the Far East. The expansion will improve the economic viability of the project. Currently, work is underway on the engineering studies, being handled by a number of firms as various technologies would be implemented.