Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), with operations in the Middle East, has capacity expansion plans on the cards. This expansion is planned by the world's 10th largest petrochemical company to meet the fast growing demand for petrochemicals, especially intermediates and polyolefins from Asia. Asia is SABIC's fastest growing and most important market, accounting for over 40% of the company's exports. SABIC's planned investment for production expansions is in excess of US$8 billion, and aims to increase overall annual production from 43 million tons in 2004 to over 60 million metric tons by 2008.
Currently placed as world number 2 in production of ethylene glycol. 630,000 metric tons is to come on stream at Jubail United Petrochemical Company (UNITED-2), the world's biggest ethylene glycol plant. In addition to UNITED-2, SABIC is currently constructing two new plants which will increase the total production capacity of ethylene glycol (EG) by more than 2 million metric tpa. SABIC is slated to become world number one in 2006, meeting over 22% of global demand. By 2006, SABIC will have a total ethylene glycol production capacity of 3.9 million mta out of which 3 million tpa will be marketed by SABIC.
Construction work has commenced at the YANSAB Complex in Yanbu Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, to further increase SABIC's production capacity from 1.3 million metric tpa of ethylene and 400,000 metric tpa of propylene.
Eastern Petrochemical Company (SHARQ), a 50:50 SABIC joint venture established in 1981 with a consortium of Japanese companies led by Mitsubishi Corporation, will add 2.9 million metric tpa of ethylene, ethylene glycol and polyethylene by 2008 at Al-Jubail.
20-May-05 
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