The estimated $80 million project will be the first of its kind in the Middle East. The plant will have a nameplate capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year, with plans for expansion at a later date. The construction period will be 14 months.

Polypropylene, a primary feedstock for the proposed plant, will be supplied by the local Petrochemical Industries Company. Other feedstock will be imported.

The project will feature stand-alone and integrated systems for web forming, binding, finishing, converting and packaging. It will produce the composite fabric used in the manufacture of nappies and sanitary towels.

The front-end engineering and design (FEED) package for the proposed plant has been carried out by Kuwait-based Consultec Gulf Company, in association with Denmark's Ramboll. Consultec Gulf is also the project management consultant.

The client is GulfPolyTex Company, with a strategic foreign partner.