RIYADH — SABIC has announced the award of an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to Samsung Engineering for constructing an Ethylene Glycol plant at its manufacturing affiliate, Jubail United Petrochemical Company (United).

The plant, expected to be mechanically completed in 2020, will be the third Ethylene Glycol plant at United, expanding available capacity to meet growing global demand. When completed in 2020, the plant will have a production capacity of 700,000 metric tons per year of Mono-Ethylene Glycol that would help the growth of our valued customers.

Commenting on the new plant and SABIC’s capacity expansion strategy, Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, SABIC executive vice president, Petrochemicals SBU, said, “Thanks to our constant expansions at our manufacturing affiliates, we are already the largest producer of Ethylene Glycol in the world. With this additional capacity at United, we now seek to maintain this pace and uphold our record of accomplishment in strong customer service and satisfaction. Moreover, since we see sustainability as an integrated strategy for responsible business and growth, the new plant will use innovative technologies to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency.”

The plant will be using process technologies developed by Scientific Design, a SABIC joint venture company, which has developed some of the petrochemical industry’s most significant technologies and catalysts.

SABIC’s best in class supply chain, which includes logistics hubs in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, ensures that the company remains close to its global customers, with efficient and cost effective supplies.

SABIC’s Ethylene Glycol production satisfies the world’s increasing demand for key segments such as polyester fibers and Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate (PET). Part of its output is used within the company as raw material for manufacturing products such as polyester. Ethylene Glycol is also an important industrial solvent, used to make unsaturated polyesters, plasticizers and resins. It is also employed as a softening agent to make glues and adhesives more flexible, and is an important component in formulations of brake fluids, pastes and pigments. — SG