Saudi Polymers plans to start up its new integrated polyolefins complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia by the end of the year, a source close to the company said Friday.
This is slightly later than expected as the company had earlier planned to start up the complex by November.
The cause of the delay is unclear, but the source said the plant will start "anytime now." The plant was undergoing safety checks in October, Platts reported earlier.
The complex is built around an ethane/propane-based steam cracker, with the capacity to produce 1.165 million mt/year of ethylene and 445,000 mt/year of propylene. The entire olefins production is slated for captive use.
Downstream from the steam cracker, Saudi Polymers has a 1.1 million mt/year high density polyethylene plant, a 400,000 mt/year polypropylene plant and a 200,000 mt/year polystyrene plant at the new complex.
The entire complex is expected to start around the same time, led by the steam cracker and followed shortly after by the downstream units.
The PE plant will produce a "full range" of HDPE, including the major commodity film, blow molding and injection grades, as well as the more specialized yarn and pipe grades. The HDPE product slate will depend on market supply and demand.
The PP plant will produce up to seven grades, with 75-80% of the capacity focused on homopolymers and the rest on copolymers. These include film, yarn, injection homopolymers, and random and block copolymers grades.
Meanwhile, the PS plant will produce general purpose and high impact grades, with an estimated 7:3 ratio.
Saudi Polymers is a joint venture between Arabian Chevron Phillips Petrochemical Company Limited (35%) and National Petrochemical Company or Petrochem (65%). ACP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, while Petrochem a joint stock company fully owned by the Saudi Industrial Investment Group.
Chevron Phillips Chemicals will market the polymer output from the complex in Asia.
