SABIC Affiliate United Begins Startup Activities at Its New Ethylene Glycol Plant

SABIC has announced the initial startup activities of the Ethylene Glycol Plant – 3 at its manufacturing affiliate, Jubail United Petrochemical Company (United), with an estimated annual production capacity of 700,000 metric tons of monoethylene glycol.

The financial impact of this development will be reflected after the pre-commissioning activities and the start of commercial operations.

With this additional capacity at United, SABIC seeks to maintain its position as the largest producer of ethylene glycol in the world. The new plant will use innovative technologies to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency in line with SABIC’s commitment to minimize environmental impact through sustainable use of resources. 

“This successful startup surely adds to our global Ethylene Glycols footprint and strengthen our reliability of supply to our customers, bringing us closer to our vision to be the preferred world leader in chemicals,” said Abdulrahman Alfageeh, SABIC Executive Vice President, Petrochemicals. 

SABIC’s ethylene glycol production seeks to meet the world demand for key products such as polyester fibers and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Ethylene glycol is also an important industrial solvent, used to make unsaturated polyesters, plasticizers and resins. It is also employed as a softening agent to make glues and adhesives more flexible, and is an important component in formulations of brake fluids, pastes and pigments.