Saudi petrochemicals and plastics group SABIC has selected ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol (EO/EG) technology from Scientific Design (SD) for a 700,000 EG plant in Al Jubail. The plant will be the eighth EO/EG facility that SD has licensed to SABIC. The company is jointly owned by SABIC and Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant.

The contract includes the process technology license, a process design package, technical assistance and start-up services and the initial charge of SD’s EO catalyst. A timescale for the project was not disclosed.

SABIC previously chose SD to provide the process design package, technical assistance and start-up services for an expansion of Saudi Kayan’s EO/EG plant, also located in Al Jubail, and Yansab’s EG plant in Yanbu. Both Saudi Kayan and Yansab are affiliates of SABIC.

The Saudi Kayan plant has been operating at its expanded capacity since last November. The expansion at Yansab is expected to be completed by mid-2018.