Indorama of Thailand, world's largest PET producer, and Abu Dhabi Chemicals Company (ChemaWEyaat) have agreed to form a 49:51 joint venture to produce aromatics at Al Gharbia in western Abu Dhabi.

No timeline has been revealed for the project first announced three years ago. One of a number of PET-related plants expected to come on stream within the next few months or years, the facility - Indorama's first in the Gulf region - will be designed with a capacity for around 1.4 million t/y of the PET feedstock paraxylene, along with 500,000 t/y of benzene.

More than four years ago, Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment (IPIC), said it was seeking joint venture partners for ChemaWEyaat. This is the first project to be announced.