ADDAR Chemicals has awarded a $35-million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Indian Nuberg Engineering. The turnkey contract for ADDAR's greenfield sulfolane and speciality chemical plant in Saudi Arabia is a major win for Nuberg, which is a specialized EPC contractor for chemical plants, said a statement from the company.

Nuberg said the scope of the work includes residual engineering, procurement, supply, construction, fabrication and commissioning at the plant. The entire chemical plant project is estimated to be worth $60 million. Larsen & Toubro (L&T), another Indian EPC company, is the detail engineering partner of the chemical plant, while the technology and basic engineering partner of the project is US-based GTC Technologies. According to Nuberg the project was won against competitive bids from several major international EPC contractors originating from India, Saudi Arabia, Korea and Europe.

Located in Jubail Industrial City, the new facility will manufacture sulfolane and other specialty chemical products for downstream and petrochemical/oil and energy industry. Once the plant starts operation, it will supply to the local Saudi market as well as the wider Middle East and Africa (MEA) and the Gulf region, said Dr. Ibrahim Ibn Salamah, the chairman of ADDAR.

Also, it may cater to markets having similar critical needs, including Eastern Europe, India, China and South East Asia, stated Dr. Salamah, a former managing director and vice chairman at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). One of the largest greenfield specialty chemical complex with various upcoming new products for the downstream and petrochemical/oil and energy industry, the project is scheduled to commence during the first quarter of 2017, he added.