State-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco (Dhahran / Saudi Arabia; www.saudiaramco.com) is taking another major step regarding the "Saudi Vision 2030" strategy. Following plans to construct refineries in Saudi Arabia and South Africa as well as major projects in the US and India – see Plasteurope.com of 13.04.2018 – the company now has deals for two joint ventures in China.

Aramco has signed agreements to acquire a 9% share in the Zhejiang Integrated Refining & Petrochemical Complex (ZPC, Zhoushan, Zhejiang / China), which is currently being built on Dayushan Island in Hangzhou Bay between Shanghai and Ningbo. According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), capacities here include 1.4m t/y of ethylene, 600,000 t/y of propylene, 2m t/y of PX and 1.2m t/y of styrene, with downstream polymers production scheduled to start in 2021 – see Plasteurope.com of 28.09.2017.

In addition, the Dhahran-based company signed an agreement for a JV that was announced in 2017 with Norinco (Beijing / China; www.norincogroup.com.cn) in Panjin, Liaoning, in northern China – see Plasteurope.com of 09.08.2017. As part of a USD 10 bn project, Huajin Aramco Petrochemical will have, among other things, a cracker for 1.5m t/y of ethylene and a 1.3m t/y PX plant. Downstream production of plastics are planned as well. Current plans have the complex scheduled to start-up in 2024.