Commissioning of its last plant, the region’s first isocyanates facility, marks milestone achievement for the massive chemicals complex
Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company, has celebrated the commissioning of the last of its 26 plants – an isocyanates section currently producing crude quantities of toluene di isocyanate (TDI) and other specialty chemicals.
It was celebrated in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Saudi Aramco Chairman, His Excellency Khalid A. Al-Falih; Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris; and Ahmad Saadi, Chairman of Sadara and Saudi Aramco Senior Vice President of Technical Services at the Sadara complex in Jubail Industrial City II.
A first for the Gulf region, the TDI section is mainly used in the production of flexible polyurethane foam for furniture, mattresses, cushioning and car seats. TDI also has a variety of industrial uses, such as coatings and adhesives.
The isocyanates envelope also includes an unprecedented integrated facility producing PMDI or polymeric methylene di phenyl di isocyanate. The PMDI Plant began producing commercial quantities in early June.
Additionally, Sadara is producing another important polyurethane precursor – polyether polyols. The company’s Polyols Plant came on-stream in late July.
The world’s largest integrated chemicals complex ever built in a single phase, and established by the largest foreign direct investment in the Saudi petrochemicals industry, Sadara has been bringing its chemical plants on-stream in a carefully planned sequence and will produce more than three million tons of high-value performance plastics and specialty chemical products annually. Sadara’s mixed feed cracker, the heart of Sadara’s operations, started up in August 2016, cracking ethane gas and naphtha liquid feedstock to produce chemicals for the site’s other facilities. Sadara’s four polyethylene production units came on-line between late 2015 and early 2017.
Al-Falih said, “Sadara’s commissioning positions the company to fully deliver its promise as a major catalyst for Saudi Arabia’s economic future – a promise that will be felt in human terms.
“Sadara’s slate of high-value chemicals, including many firsts for the Kingdom and the region, will create the quality performance, value-added and plastics products that support a higher living standard around the world, especially in the emerging Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern markets that will drive two-thirds of global petrochemical demand over the next decade.
Strategically located to benefit from competitive feedstocks, Sadara will serve the needs of Dow customers across the Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.
To date, Sadara has more than 4,100 employees, the majority of whom are Saudis. Almost 2,000 of these employees have completed intensive, technology-centric, on-the-job training (OJT) programs at various Saudi Aramco and Dow sites in Saudi Arabia and around the world for advanced chemicals production technologies knowledge. The Sadara OJT program is one of the largest and most sophisticated technological training programs ever undertaken by any company in Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the PlasChem Park, a world-class industrial park for chemical and conversion industries created by a collaboration between Sadara and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, is expected to attract quality investments valued at 20 billion Saudi Riyals, and to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
