Day three of Adipec brought a slew of new project announcements here at home, alongside projects abroad. Here is a breakdown of the projects in the UAE:

PETROCHEMICALS-

#1- Ta’ziz locks in another EPC contract for its industrial ecosystem: Ta’ziz — a JV between ADQ and Adnoc — has awarded a AED 7.3 bn (c.USD 2 bn) EPC contract to China National Chemical Engineering & Construction Corporation Seven to build the UAE’s first polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in Ta’ziz industrial ecosystem in Ruwais, according to a statement.

Details: The facility will produce 1.9 mn tonnes annually of PVC, ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and caustic soda. These are feedstocks for pipes, construction materials, infrastructure components, packaging, and medical applications. This is intended to substitute imports, serve the domestic industry and support export-linked value chains. Ta’ziz expects the plant to come online by 4Q 2028.

The contract follows some USD 4.7 bn EPC contracts awarded for ammonia and methanol plants within Phase 1 of the company’s industrial ecosystem in Ruwais — which is expected to contribute some AED 183 bn to the economy — targeting 4.7 mn tonnes annually of capacity across chemicals and transition-fuel products. T’aziz has also already awarded three USD 2 bn (AED 7.34 bn) contracts for infrastructure development at its chemicals and transition fuels site in Al Ruwais Industrial City.

#2- Borouge launches first UAE-made low-density polyethylene for healthcare use: ADX-listed petrochemicals firm Borouge will be producing the first locally manufactured low-density polyethylene designed for healthcare and pharma packaging, according to a press release. The product will be produced at Borouge’s Ruwais facility, and will help strengthen the UAE’s medical supply chains by enabling the domestic manufacturing of sterile packaging like IV bottles, blow-fill-seal bottles, and ampoules.

The company has been deepening its locally produced, value-added medical products portfolio, with the manufacturing of Bormed RG868MO — used in syringes, inhalers, and pharma packaging — already underway. It also signed an MoU with Mubadala’s new pharma arm, Mubadala Bio, to supply polyolefin materials for the local manufacturing of medical products.

OIL AND GAS-

#1- Fujairah gets a gasoline refinery: Nasdaq-listed Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company (BPGIC) signed an agreement with Honeywell to secure a license to develop what it says will be Fujairah’s first refinery dedicated to producing high-quality gasoline, state news agency Wam reports. The project will roll out in phases, starting with an initial phase targeting output of some 15k barrels per day.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will provide the engineering design for the facility, which is expected to incorporate modern refining and processing technologies.

#3- Al Masaood Energy is moving into tyre-to-oil recycling with the GCC’s first plant to convert end-of-life tyres into export-grade crude, Wam reports. The facility will refine used tyres into oil that qualifies under EU standards for import without local tax, regional manager for the renewable energy division Ibrahim Al Hashidi said.

Demand looks locked in before the plant even starts up, with the company saying all output has already been committed ahead of completion.

SOUND SMART- Tyre-to-oil conversion relies on industrial pyrolysis, where shredded end-of-life tyres are heated in oxygen-free reactors to break rubber down into a condensable hydrocarbon vapor that becomes synthetic crude after cooling and refining. This meets EU import standards, which treats compliant waste-derived hydrocarbons as feedstock rather than taxed waste fuel. The economics pencil out at scale when operators secure a cheap tyre supply, lock in offtake, and navigate the certification framework.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS-

Mercantile & Maritime Group’s subsidiary MENA Biofuels has begun construction of the UAE’s first commercial Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, state news agency Wam reports. The facility, which will convert used cooking oil and other waste-based feedstocks into certified SAF, will be constructed in two phases; the first costing some USD 200 mn for 125 mn liters of SAF annually, while the second is estimated at USD 100 mn and will up capacity to 250 mn liters annually.

The first phase will cover 18% of national demand for SAF, while the second will cover 36%.

REMEMBER- We knew that M&M is working on a AED 2.2 bn biofuel processing facility in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, though at the time the facility was expected to produce 150 mn liters of SAF annually, with the facility scheduled for completion next year. Mercantile & Maritime did not respond to EnterprisAM UAE ahead of dispatch.

The company launched the first of two Engineering, Procurement, and Construction and Commissioning tenders covering the receiving, storage, and distribution facilities for feedstock, SAF, and by-products, establishing the project’s logistical backbone. The second tender will be launched in 1Q next year for the SAF refinery process units and associated infrastructure.

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