Chevron Phillips Chemical (The Woodlands, Texas / USA; www.cpchem.com) said its Saudi Polymers joint venture in Al Jubail / Saudi Arabia is expected to begin commercial production in the first quarter of 2012. Construction work on the cracker and polymers project has been completed and final commissioning work and testing activities are underway, it said. The integrated complex has the capacity to produce 1.165m t/y of ethylene, 445,000 t/y of propylene, 1.1m t/y of PE, 400,000 t/y of PP, 200,000 t/y of PS and 100,000 t/y of 1-hexene.

In addition to supplying the local Saudi market, Saudi Polymers will supply global markets through its exclusive distributor, Gulf Polymers Distribution, using Chevron Phillips Chemical’s marketing network.

Saudi Polymers is owned 65% by National Petrochemical (Petrochem, Riyadh / Saudi Arabia; www.petrochem.com.sa/english) and 35% by Chevron Phillips Chemical subsidiary Arabian Chevron Phillips Petrochemcial (ACP). Petrochem is an affiliate of Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG, Riyadh; www.siig.com.sa/english).