Kingdom to be world’s 3rd largest exporter of petrochemicals by ’15

jochemgeheniau — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 08:50:00 +0000

RIYADH – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expected to become the world’s third largest exporter of petrochemical products with its market share poised to reach 10 percent by 2015. Saudi plastics and petrochemical exports grew from less than $500 million in 1985 to $22 billion in 2011.
Moreover, the outlook for domestic plastics and petrochemicals is highly favorable as the country shifts its focus beyond increasing oil production capacity towards expanding its natural gas, refining, and petrochemicals industries.
Saudi Plastics & Petrochem 2014 – the 11th International Plastics and Petrochemicals Trade Exhibition will boost growth prospects even further.
Organized by Riyadh Exhibitions Company , the event will be held on Feb. 17-20, 2014 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
The upcoming edition of the largest industrial event in the region will gather local and international industrialists and professionals, in addition to a number of governmental industrial commissions from the Gulf States. The event will showcase the latest technologies in machinery, equipment and processes, in addition to raw materials, semi-finished products, spare parts and services in the plastics and petrochemical fields.
Zeyad Al Rukban, Deputy General Manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company , said: “Saudi industrial sectors are witnessing unmatched growth, as multi-billion dollar investments are being made in developing the Kingdom’s infrastructure. Saudi Plastics & Petrochem 2014 will reflect the pulse of Saudi Arabia’s plastics and petrochemicals industry, which is witnessing profound growth as well. Designed as an ideal business-to-business networking platform, the event will offer innovative products and technologies that businesses can leverage to stay competitive.”
Saudi Plastics & Petrochem 2014 will be held concurrently with Saudi Print & Pack 2014 – The 11th International Printing and Packaging Technologies Exhibition.
The forthcoming premier event is expected to cover more than 20,000 sqm of exhibition space and host exhibitors from over 26 countries. It will also feature 10 national pavilions to emphasize the potential of the Saudi market. Premier local companies such as the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and the National Industrialization Company (TASNEE) will support the event as Diamond Sponsors, while Saudi Polymers has a tie-up as the official Platinum Sponsor.

Doha takes risk on new method

jochemgeheniau — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 07:53:32 +0000

The Gulf state is no longer looking to ramp up petrochemical production slowly, but rather to add a massive amount of capacity within a short timeframe

Qatar’s petrochemicals industry has earned a reputation for delivering high-quality products to the global market. This has been achieved by slowly ramping up production and ensuring the quality of the intermediate chemicals it supplies to its customers.

Now, with two planned megaprojects, the Gulf state is no longer looking to ramp up production slowly, but rather to add a massive amount of capacity in a short timeframe. This is a risk that Doha feels it is now ready to take, and there is no denying it has enough experience in the petrochemicals sector to achieve this hike in production of almost 5 million tonnes a year.

One scheme is Al-Karaana, Qatar Petroleum’s (QP’s) joint venture with the UK/Dutch Shell, which will be tendered in the first quarter of 2014. Several international engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors look set to team up to tackle the scheme. What is unusual about the project is that despite having a budget of $6.4bn, only two packages will be released to contractors. This means there are very few firms willing to take on the risk of the packages that may be worth in excess of $3bn each. What may also strike many as unusual is how firms who are usually extremely competitive when bidding on projects can team up effortlessly when needed.

International EPC contractors working in the region generally have a solid track record when it comes to forming consortiums and this scheme should be no different. It is more prevalent in the power and water sector than oil and gas and petrochemicals, but on most occasions when it has happened, there have been no major disagreements between group members.

Whether a two-package strategy will be cheaper than releasing four or five packages will be unknown until the bids are in. If it is a success, QP will want to emulate this strategy on its upcoming Al-Sejeel scheme.

Holland Gulf Chamber of Commerce » petrochemical

Kingdom to be world’s 3rd largest exporter of petrochemicals by ’15

Doha takes risk on new method