Construction work at Sadara Chemical Company’s 6-sq-km industrial complex in the Eastern Province is 98 per cent complete and the massive chemicals venture is expected to achieve full operations by 2017, it has been revealed.

The update was given as the boards of directors of Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), the joint venture partners of the project, visited the complex to witness how the mega project has developed and to commemorate the first product produced at the site.

The visit was headed by the Saudi Aramco chairman Khalid Al Falih and Dow chairman and CEO Andrew N Liveris.

The board members took a first-hand look at the world-class facilities and noted the significant progress being made in the execution of the world’s largest plastics and chemicals complex ever built in a single phase.

The complex, involving a total investment of $20 billion, is located in Jubail Industrial City II, in the E astern Province.

Sadara successfully launched its first manufacturing unit – Solution Polyethylene – last December. This represents the first Solution Polyethylene plant in the Middle East. 

A phased commissioning and start-up of the rest of the facilities is continuing and the complex is expected to achieve full operations by 2017.

During the visit, the group was updated on progress of the adjacent PlasChem Park, which is a collaborative effort between Sadara and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. Located next to Sadara’s chemical complex, PlasChem Park offers the advantages of easy access to Sadara’s highly differentiated chemical products and the strong industrial and regulatory infrastructure in Jubail.

Through PlasChem Park, investors can easily utilise Sadara’s products as feedstock for further conversion to finished products.

To date, Sadara has more than 4,300 employees.