SABIC launches multimillion euro investment at Geleen production site

Sittard, the Netherlands – May 9, 2012 – Over the next eighteen months, SABIC will invest 135 million euros in safety, energy conservation and the environment at their production site in Geleen. The goal of the investment is to ensure a safer, more competitive and more energy efficient cracker that is better for the environment. On April 11, an upgrade project was officially launched that will transform the Naphtha Olefins4 cracker into one of the best crackers in Europe in terms of safety, durability and cost efficiency. The Geleen investment fits in perfectly with SABIC’s growth strategy of becoming the market leader in the chemical industry.

Projects
As well as the upgrade project, the 135 million euro investment will be used to launch more than twenty additional improvement projects and a substantial maintenance shutdown (Turnaround) scheduled for September 2013. Built in the 1970s, the cracker will be modernized according to the latest technologies so that it can continue to compete with the ‘younger’ plants.

Growth ambitions
Updating the Olefins4 cracker fits in with SABIC’s growth ambitions. The production location of the company in Geleen will be transformed into a top European site over the next few years. “We believe in the future of SABIC in Geleen,” says Henny Egberink, Vice President Manufacturing. The upgrade project will require a significant amount of extra work and will therefore create new employment opportunities.

Good for safety and the environment
The goal of the upgrade project is to reduce the cracker’s energy consumption by eight percent. This means significantly less CO2 emissions, which is better for the environment. The project will also realize a production increase of two percent.

“Large-scale operations like these will not affect deliveries to our customers,” says Jacques Slabbers, Director Area Manufacturing Services Europe. “The cracker will use considerably less energy and produce less CO2, which is beneficial to the environment, our region and SABIC’s ecological footprint. Becoming a key European player not only requires us to enhance our production capacity and employment opportunities, it also requires us to grow in terms of safety and the environment. Sustainability is a major priority for our clients and for SABIC.”

Competitive edge
The upgrade project and the more than twenty improvement projects will be finalized during the big Turnaround in September 2013. The Olefins4 cracker will then be considered one of the most prominent in Europe, further enhancing SABIC’s competitive edge.

About SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 29.24 billion (US$ 7.80 billion) in 2011. Sales revenues for 2011 totaled SR 189.90 billion (US$ 50.64 billion). Total assets stood at SR 332.78 billion (US$ 88.74 billion) at the end of 2011.
SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 17 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India and South Korea. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with more than 33,000 employees worldwide.
SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Media Notes
• As an acronym, SABIC should be all caps whenever it appears in print.
• ® Trademark of SABIC

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This release was published on openPR.