Baton Rouge-based specialty chemical maker Albemarle Corp. says it has entered into discussion with its Middle Eastern partner, Ali & Sons Oilfield Supplies & Services Co., about building a plant to manufacture fluid catalytic cracking catalysts and additives used in petroleum refining.
The facility would be in Abu Dhabi, the seat of government of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
If the companies go ahead with the plant, it would make Albemarle’s AFX catalysts. In a prepared statement, Albemarle says Abu Dhabi is the ideal site for the facility because “it would allow Albemarle to meet rapidly growing regional demand for refinery catalyst solutions and would provide an unmatched security of supply for existing customers in the Middle East.”
This morning’s announcement follows Albemarle’s recent delivery of catalysts for the startup of an FCC unit as part of a $10 billion expansion of the Ruwais refinery in Abu Dhabi. The refinery is owned by the UAE state-run refiner, Takreer.
Albemarle did not indicate when it will make a final decision on whether to pursue proposed Abu Dhabi plant. The company did not provide costs estimates for the project.
Read a recent Business Report magazine feature on Albemarle’s recent $6.2 billion acquisition of a New Jersey competitor and how the deal positions the firm to be global leader in the lithium market.
