A Chinese/Saudi Arabian joint venture is to build a $200m fibreglass plant at Salman Industrial City (SIC) in Bahrain.

China’s Chongqing Polycomp International (CPIC) and Saudi Arabia’s Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain Company will build the 140,000 tonnes-a-year (t/y) facility at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP), which is part of SIC.

BIIP usually allows 9-12 months from the contracts being signed to break ground. Construction is usually [up] to 18 months

“In regards to construction work commencing BIIP usually allows 9-12 months from the contracts being signed to break ground,” Brian Cogan, project manager for BIIP says. “The timeline for construction is usually a year to 18 months.”   

Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain Company already has a fibreglass manufacturing facility at BIIP that started operations in August 2009. The plant cost $65m and will have a capacity of 65,000-t/y when the phase II is completed shortly.

CPIC has a number of fibreglass plants in China and its current capacity stands at 420,000-t/y.

The joint venture will be 70 per cent owned by CPIC and 30 per cent owned by Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain Company and will employ around 1,000 people when completed.

Cogan also tells MEED that four to five companies from Europe and the US are close to agreeing deals to locate to BIIP, but declined to name them due to the advanced stages of negotiations.