SABIC Finalizes Investment Decision for Fujian Petrochemical Complex in China

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File photo: Reuters)
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File photo: Reuters)
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SABIC Finalizes Investment Decision for Fujian Petrochemical Complex in China

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File photo: Reuters)
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File photo: Reuters)

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), the leading global company in diversified chemicals, announced on Sunday that it has endorsed the final investment decision for the SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Complex Project (Saudi-Chinese Gulei Ethylene Complex Project) to be established in Fujian Province, China.
SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Company Limited, based on a 51% to 49% equity split in the joint venture between SABIC Industrial Investments, wholly owned by SABIC, and Fujian Petrochemical Company Limited (FPCL), has decided to initiate the establishment of an industrial complex in the Gulei area of Fujian Province, SPA reported.
The project's investments total 44.8 billion Chinese yuan ($6.4 billion), marking the largest foreign investment in Fujian Province and a significant expansion of SABIC's core investments in China.
The complex is anticipated to annually produce 1.8 million tons of ethylene and will accommodate a range of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, including those for ethylene glycol, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and various other manufacturing units.
The construction of the project is expected to be completed by 2026.



Oil Retreats on US Tariff Uncertainty and OPEC+ Supplies

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Retreats on US Tariff Uncertainty and OPEC+ Supplies

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the possibility of US tariffs being reinstated raised demand concerns ahead of an expected supply boost by major producers.

Brent crude futures fell 58 cents, or 0.8%, to $68.53 a barrel by 0942 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude declined 57 cents, or 0.9%, to $66.88.

Both contracts had hit one-week highs on Wednesday as Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, raising concerns the lingering dispute over its nuclear program could again devolve into armed conflict.

A preliminary trade deal between the US and Vietnam also boosted prices.

Tariff uncertainty looms large, however. The 90-day pause on the implementation of higher US tariffs ends on July 9, with several large trading partners yet to wrap up trade deals, including the European Union and Japan.

The OPEC+ group of oil producers, meanwhile, is expected to agree to raise output by 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) at its policy meeting this weekend. Adding to negative sentiment, a private-sector survey showed that service activity in China - the world's biggest oil importer - expanded at its slowest pace in nine months in June as demand weakened and new export orders declined. A surprise build in US crude inventories also highlighted demand concerns in the world's biggest crude consumer.

The US Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that domestic crude inventories rose by 3.8 million barrels to 419 million barrels last week. Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected a drawdown of 1.8 million barrels.

The market will be watching for the US monthly employment report on Thursday, which is likely to shape expectations over the depth and timing of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in the second half of the year, analysts said.

Lower interest rates could spur economic activity that would boost oil demand.