Petrochemicals UAE’s Borouge to expand its production capacity UAE petrochemical company Borouge, a specialist in polyethylene and polypropylene, has unveiled expansion plans to increase annual production capacity to more than 6.6 million tonnes by 2028. The expansion is expected to contribute $165-$200 million in earnings before interest, tax and depreciation, the company said in a statement. Borouge, backed by Abu Dhabi National Oil […] April 29, 2025
Petrochemicals China’s Sinopec in $4bn joint venture with Saudi Aramco China’s state-run Sinopec said on Monday it had signed an agreement with a unit of Saudi Aramco to establish a joint venture company with a registered capital of 28.80 billion yuan ($3.95 billion). The agreement was signed by Sinopec, its unit Fujian Petroleum Chemical Industry Co, and Saudi Aramco’s Singaporean unit Aramco Asia Singapore. Sinopec and its unit […] April 29, 2025
Petrochemicals China to build new industrial city in Iraq China will build an industrial city in the Karbala governorate to develop Iraq’s petrochemical sector, the official Iraq News Agency reported. Sepco Electric Power Construction Corporation, a subsidiary of state-run PowerChina, signed an agreement with Iraq’s ministry of industry and minerals to build four petrochemical plants within the Karbala Industrial City, according to Iraqi News, […] April 21, 2025
Petrochemicals Borouge hikes dividend despite economic turmoil Emirati petrochemicals company Borouge will launch a share buyback programme and increase its dividend payout as it pushes ahead with global expansion, despite mounting trade tensions and sluggish demand. Shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on Monday approved a final dividend of $650 million for 2024, bringing the full-year total to $1.3 billion, or […] April 8, 2025
Oil & Gas Profits at Oman-listed OQBI surged in 2024 Oman’s state-controlled OQ Base Industries (OQBI) has reported that net profits for 2024 increased by 38 percent to $81 million, up from $25 million a year earlier. OQBI, which produces methanol, ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is the downstream arm of state-owned OQ. It started trading on the Muscat Security Market (MSM) on December […] April 2, 2025
Petrochemicals Gulf oil companies turn up petrochemicals investment Gulf national oil companies (NOCs) are increasingly focusing their investment attention on petrochemicals as they seek to move up the value chain and as global demand growth for crude slows, experts say. The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the petrochemical industry to account for one third of global oil demand growth by 2030 and […] March 18, 2025
Petrochemicals Borouge proposes share buyback after merger stock slide Abu Dhabi petrochemicals company Borouge will seek shareholder approval to buy back up to 2.5 percent of its shares, it said on Monday, after its share price plunged on this month’s news of its merger deal with Austria’s Borealis. Borouge’s majority shareholder Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Austria’s OMV said they had agreed to merge […] March 17, 2025
Analysis Markets Gulf investors urged to switch from petrochems to fertiliser Gulf fertiliser companies are trading below their fair value, with investors not seeming to price in a rebound in product prices that analysts say is more than just a seasonal upswing. In the Gulf, fertilisers and petrochemicals are considered adjacent industries, since both rely on natural gas as a feedstock. While petrochemical companies’ earnings have […] March 7, 2025
Petrochemicals Adnoc and OMV seal deal for $60bn chemicals JV Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Austria’s energy group OMV have agreed to merge their polyolefin operations to form a $60 billion joint venture. Borouge Group International (BGI) will be the world’s fourth largest by nameplate production capacity, the UAE company said. BGI will acquire Canada-headquartered Nova Chemicals Corporation from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund […] March 4, 2025
Petrochemicals Aramco-owned Sabic turns $400m profit in 2024 Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, a listed petrochemicals company that is 70 percent owned by Saudi Aramco, turned a profit last year after losing money in 2023. Sabic’s profit was SAR1.5 billion ($400 million) in 2024, compared with a loss of SAR2.8 billion in 2023. Annual revenue fell 1 percent to SAR140 billion and sales volumes […] February 26, 2025
Analysis Petrochemicals Petrochemicals ‘won’t even get fleeting respite’, analysts warn Executives and investors in Saudi petrochemicals could be forgiven for needing a break from industry news after its biggest companies report what are widely expected to be lacklustre results for the final quarter of 2024. They won’t be getting that pause any time soon, however. Extra production capacity that was expected in 2024 is instead […] February 26, 2025
Analysis Petrochemicals Gloomy outlook for Saudi petrochemicals Saudi Arabia’s 10 listed petrochemical companies are likely to report lacklustre earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024 because of an ongoing downturn in the global chemicals industry, analysts predict. The sector’s prolonged malaise means they are likely to be of little interest to international institutional investors – although all enjoy significant cost advantages over […] February 25, 2025
editor's insight Petrochemicals Adnoc’s big bet on petrochemicals Pay attention at the back. Earlier this week Abu Dhabi-listed Fertiglobe reported net profits of $160m for 2024, down by more than half on 2023 because of lower revenues. Meanwhile, net earnings at Borouge, another of Abu Dhabi’s listed petrochemicals ventures, jumped by nearly a quarter year-on-year to $1.2 billion. Borouge reported record production and sales. What […] February 14, 2025
Oil & Gas Kuwait successfully using drones to inspect oil facilities Kuwait’s first-time use of drones to inspect oil and gas facilities has reduced costs, improved operational efficiency and enhanced worker safety, a local newspaper has reported, without giving numbers. The drones are used to inspect oil and gas fields, petrochemical and refining facilities, and pipelines and export terminals across the country, the Arabic-language daily Alanba […] February 4, 2025
Petrochemicals Borouge profit rises on high-value product sales The net earnings of Borouge, Abu Dhabi’s listed petrochemicals company, jumped 24 percent year on year to $1.2 billion in 2024, supported by record production and sales volumes. Annual revenue rose 4 percent to $6 billion, while total costs improved by 2 percent. The high-value infrastructure services segment accounted for 40 percent of total sales […] February 4, 2025
Industry $1.7bn contract awarded for UAE’s first methanol plant A joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and the state-owned sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ) has awarded an AED6.2 billion ($1.7 billion) contract to build the UAE’s first methanol production facility. The joint venture, Ta’ziz, has granted an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to South Korea’s Samsung […] February 3, 2025
Markets Oman’s OQBI poised to make Muscat bourse debut Oman’s OQ Base Industries will debut on Muscat’s bourse on December 15 after the state oil company subsidiary completed a $489 million initial public offering. OQBI, the third OQ unit to float since March 2023, has offloaded 49 percent of its shares. Of the shares sold, 30 percent went to institutions, 40 percent to retail […] December 5, 2024
Petrochemicals Adnoc’s XRG to take over Germany’s Covestro XRG, the low-carbon and chemicals investment company founded by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), is to become a major shareholder of German chemicals producer Covestro. The $16.3 billion takeover offer from Adnoc International Germany Holding, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of XRG, has exceeded the minimum acceptance threshold, reaching 69.94 percent as of November […] December 3, 2024
Sustainability Adnoc launches $80bn unit for low-carbon transition State-backed energy major Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has launched a new global lower-carbon energy and chemicals investment company valued at more than $80 billion. XRG will aim to more than double its asset value over the next decade by capitalising on the demand for low-carbon energy and chemicals. The three factors driving demand […] November 28, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Trump’s return may alter the future of renewable energy Adnoc’s acquisition in September of a 35 percent stake in ExxonMobil’s low-carbon hydrogen facility in Baytown, Texas, might have been a sign of things to come. The deal between the Abu Dhabi-owned oil company and the US energy major came as interest in clean hydrogen was waning in the US while rising in the Gulf. Former […] November 26, 2024
Markets OQ chemical subsidiary targets $490m from IPO OQ Base Industries, a subsidiary of Oman’s state energy company OQ, intends to raise up to OR187 million ($490 million) through an initial public offering on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX). The price range was set between 106 and 111 baisas per share, valuing the company between OR188 million and OR385 million. The subscription period […] November 19, 2024
Trade Nigeria nears trade deal with Saudi Arabia Nigeria is looking to finalise a $5 billion bilateral trade facility with Saudi Arabia, it said, following a meeting between its president, Bola Tinubu, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. The pair met on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit, which was convened to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Following the meeting, […] November 13, 2024
