Kuwait company in talks to build $200m Jordan glass factory

12 May 2010

Specialized Glass Industries Group in final negotiations to build facility in silica-rich Maan area

Kuwait’s Specialized Glass Industries Group (SGI Group) is in final negotiations with the Maan Development Company (MDC) regarding the construction of a $200m glass factory at the Maan Development Area in southern Jordan, a source tells MEED.

The source says the original memorandum of understanding that was signed by MDC with Qatar’s Remal Holding has now expired and SGI Group has stepped in as the potential new joint venture partner.

“Remal had a problem with funding due to the economic crisis and had to pull out,” the source says. “Now MDC are in negotiations with SGI and I think an announcement will be made within about a month’s time about their intentions to put up the factory.”

The source also says MDC will leave it up to the investors to decide whether they want it to remain as a joint venture partner in the project, or if they want to bring in someone else.

The source adds the budget for the plant will depend on where the technology comes from. “The budget will be between $150-200m and depends on whether they deal with German or Chinese technology,” he says. “From what I’m hearing, I think they will adopt the German technology.”

The technology provider for the project was the German flat-glass specialist DTEC Engineering & Consulting. When contacted, the project manager in charge of the project declined to comment.

The SGI Group is also constructing a $50m glass coating factory at Maan with a capacity of 5.5 million square metres. The facility is currently at the machine assembly stage and is due to start production in July.

The silica for both glass factories will come from a mine owned by the MDC. The Maan area of Jordan has large deposits of silica with a purity of around 98 per cent.

 

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