DuPont, Saudi firm to build VAM plant at Al Jubail

May 10, 2000
DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers has signed a letter of intent to license DuPont technology for and participate in a joint venture to build a 275,000 tons/year vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) manufacturing plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Partners in the joint venture include DuPont, Saudi International Petrochemical Co., and other unnamed firms.


DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers has signed a letter of intent to license DuPont technology for and participate in a joint venture for a 275,000 tons/yr vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) manufacturing plant in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. Partners in the joint venture include DuPont, Saudi International Petrochemical Co. (SIPC), and other unnamed firms.

The VAM facility will be integrated into other petrochemical facilities planned for the site. SIPC, a new Saudi joint stock company, plans to form joint ventures to produce and market VAM, maleic anhydride, butanediol, methanol, and acetic acid.

"DuPont is pleased to have its VAM technology and expertise chosen for a project of this scale," said Jack Welch, vice-president of the vinyls enterprise in DuPont's packaging and industrial polymers division. "Forming alliances with strong partners not only provides a return on our strong technology investment but also provides sustainable development in key regions of the global economy. We see our relationship with SIPC having the potential to grow further."

"Associating with carefully selected partners and technology leaders is an important factor for the success of SIPC," said Ahmed A. Ohali, president of SIPC. "Our ventures should benefit from the support of the Saudi government and the available resources of the region. Our alliance with DuPont will set a good pace for other joint ventures."

Al Jubail industrial city is a phased-development-plan hydrocarbon processing center covering about 200 sq miles and including self-contained port facilities and related industrial infrastructure.