OFFICIALS from InoChem, Khair's Inorganic Chemical Industries Company, and representatives of the Chinese company Chengda, recently met in Chengdu, China to sign an agreement that will see the Chinese company initiate engineering, designs and technical licenses at InoChem's Yanbu industrial complex that is slated to produce soda ash and calcium chloride when completed. The $300 million complex will be the first in Saudi Arabia and the region to produce soda ash and will become the largest manufacturer of calcium chloride in the Middle East. The complex will produce 300,000 tons of soda ash (light and dense) annually along with 300,000 tons per annum of calcium chloride, while also allowing for future production increases to take place.
“We are truly thrilled to bring Chengda onboard for this project,” said Abdul Aziz Yahya Al-Muaiyyad, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of InoChem. “This represents a key milestone in the development of the industrial complex, the construction phase of the project is now in sight.” InoChem also recently announced the appointment of Jacobs Company to provide project management services during all phases of the project. Led by its office in Al-Khobar, Jacobs will also utilize specialists based in its offices in Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Antwerp.
The Yanbu soda ash and calcium chloride industrial complex is a milestone in Saudi Arabia's campaign to diversify its economy and clear evidence of the Saudi capacity to bring new industries to the region and to transfer and master new technologies and clearly demonstrates the Kingdom's ability to play a leading industrial role in the region. — SG
