Saudi Arabia’s Sahara Petrochemicals plans to start up four joint venture plants over the next two years, completing the company’s initial expansion programme in Jubail, according to the company’s executive president.

The company, which started in 2004, will have ownership of 10 plants in the Eastern Province petrochemicals hub by the end of 2014, says Saleh Bahamdan.

Plants set to start up in 2013 include the chlor-alkali joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), which will produce 300,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of ethylene di-chloride and 250,000 t/y of caustic soda.

Another project expected to be commissioned is an acrylic acid plant, a joint venture between the Saudi Acrylic Acid Company (SAAC) – which Sahara jointly owns with Tasnee – and US-based Dow Chemical. The complex will have proposed nameplate capacities of 145,000 t/y of acrylic acid and 160,000 t/y of butyl acrylate.

The super-absorbent polymer (SAP) plant – a joint venture of SAAC and Germany’s Evonik Industries – is also on track for commissioning by the end of 2013.

A fourth plant to produce 330,000 t/y of n-butanol is expected to come onstream by the end of 2014. The project is a joint venture of SAAC, Sabic, and Sadara, the latter a partnership of Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical.

Bahamdan said that Sahara will not limit its growth to these ventures but will seek future opportunities that fit Sahara’s portfolio.

“There is no limit to the opportunities in expansion,” said the executive president. “We are looking to do more improvements on cost reduction through better utilisation of resources and reducing waste.”

Riyadh-based Sahara went public on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in May 2004. Al-Zamil Group is the major shareholder, with 7.91 per cent ownership.