Saudi Hydrogen Peroxide Company, a joint venture between Sadara and Belgium’s Solvay, announced on 2 September the start of construction of one of the world’s largest hydrogen peroxide (HP) plants. The plant is being built within the 3mn tons/year petrochemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City-II, under development by Sadara, itself an Aramco/Dow Chemical JV.

The kingdom’s first 300,000 t/y-plus HP plant, slated for 2015 start-up, will provide a key raw material to Sadara, which will use the plant’s output as feedstock for a hydrogen peroxide-to-propylene oxide (HPPO) unit, which will in turn provide PO feedstock for a 400,000 t/y polyols unit and a 70,000 t/y propylene glycol (PG) unit. Sadara is a key project in Saudi Arabia’s expansion into the performance plastics and specialty chemicals markets (MEES, 2 August). (CONTINUED - 503 WORDS)