Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company, Sadara Chemical Company (a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical) and Saudi Acrylic Acid Company (SAAC) have formed the Saudi Butanol Company joint venture to build the world’s largest butanol plant. Saudi Kayan parent company Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) announced on 26 December that it will be the first butanol plant in the Middle East, with the capacity to produce 330,000 tons/year of n-butanol and 11,000 t/y of iso-butanol. Start-up is scheduled for 1Q15. The plant will be built at the Tasnee Petrochemicals Complex in Jubail and operated by Tasnee (the National Industrialization Company, joint owner of SAAC along with Sahara Petrochemicals Company).
The partners will have equal stakes in the project, which is expected to cost SR1.939bn. Saudi Kayan chairman Mutlaq al-Morished said the project “will strongly support the coatings value chain in the kingdom.” Sadara CEO Ziad al-Labban added that butanol-based products “will be a significant contributor to the continued success of downstream industries in Saudi Arabia.” (CONTINUED - 256 WORDS)
