JUBAIL: The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu has approved six mega industrial expansion projects at a cost of SR21.2 billion at the Jubail Industrial City.
The projects are expected to generate a large number of employment opportunities. The project signing ceremony was attended by Commission Chairman Prince Saud bin Abdullah Thunayyan, at Jubail Industrial City on Sunday.
Al Jubail Petrochemical Company (Kemya), a joint venture between Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. has won a deal, the largest in value, to set up an industrial complex on an area covering 32.7 hectares. The SR12 billion facility is to produce ethylene propylene diene monomer, rubber and black carbon that are used in automobile industry, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The second project, costing SR3 billion, was awarded to Jubail Chemical Industries Company (JANA) for setting up an industrial complex for the expansion of existing industries and adding new products with an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons. These included products used in a number of downstream industries such as painting, leather and several chemical industries.
Saudi International Petrochemical Co. (SIPCHEM) has been allocated a SR2.8 billion venture to produce ethylene vinyl acetate and low-density polyethylene with a capacity of 200,000 tons a year. National Industrialization Co., or Tasnee, obtained approval to develop a SR1.4 billion project to produce super-absorbent polymers with the capacity of 80,000 tons a year.
The SR2 billion expansion of Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co. (SAFCO) includes production of 3.67 million tons of urea annually. Urea is a major component in the manufacture of several synthetic products such as the melamine and fertilizers. Its technology will also take care of the preservation of the environment such as elimination of carbon dioxide by recycling it for manufacture of urea.
The prince also stressed the role of industrial cities particularly the facilities under the royal commission, which follow international specifications. "The Two industrial cities in Jubail and Yanbu in the recent year received licenses for new projects worth about SR146 billion while the current investments there stand at SR676 billion," the prince said.
© Arab News 2012
