Saudi Dussur Signs 4 Joint Ventures, Global Acquisition Deal

The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Saudi Dussur Signs 4 Joint Ventures, Global Acquisition Deal

The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments (Dussur) announced the signing of five new shareholders' agreements, including four joint ventures and one global acquisition deal.

Dussur, owned by PIF, Aramco, and SABIC, signed the agreement at a special event attended by Minister of Energy and Investment Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar al-Khorayef, Minister of Education Hamad al-Sheikh.

The event was held at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC).

The first JV agreement was signed with Korea's SeAH Changwon Integrated Specialty Steel Co. Ltd (SeAH) to establish the first local seamless stainless-steel pipe production plant in Saudi Arabia.

The total investment for establishing the joint venture is estimated at $270 million. SeAH and Dussur will invest up to $140 million with a percentage share of 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund will provide the remaining financing for the joint venture.

The second joint venture agreement was signed between Dussur, Tatweer Educational Transportation Services Company, and CHTC KINWIN Automobile to establish the first state-of-the-art bus manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia with an annual production capacity of 3000 buses.

The project is in line with Vision 2030 and is significant as it is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and will support the localization of the automotive industry and the development of the automotive ecosystem.

The Jeddah-based joint venture company will manufacture and assemble several bus models in the first phase, using three engine technologies: Internal combustion engine, pure electrical, and hydrogen fuel cell.

The company will primarily serve the growing local demand, which is currently met by imports, and the growing demand for buses for Hajj and Umrah, schools, tourism, and public transportation.

The third JV agreement announced at the event was between Dussur and 3D Systems to establish the Center for Innovation and Additive Manufacturing in the Kingdom.

It will provide on-demand printing and application engineering solutions for critical industries such as energy, aerospace, defense, and healthcare.

The initiative will support the Kingdom's path to industrialization by localizing disruptive technologies, contributing to supply security, and building unique capabilities for future jobs.

Dussur and Baker Hughes signed the fourth joint venture agreement to build a blending and chemical reaction facility with a production capacity of 30,000 tons to produce demulsifiers, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, and biocides.

The facility will be located in Jubail City, Saudi Arabia.

Dussur also announced the successful completion of an acquisition agreement with the international private equity consortium Broad Peak Global (BPG) and Asia Green Fund (AGF) to acquire the Clean Technologies business of DuPont de Nemours.

The new, independent company will be named Elessent Clean Technologies. It is worth noting that the new company is a global leader in chemical catalysts and advanced equipment, specializing in environmental sustainability technologies in the metals, fertilizer, chemicals, and oil refining sectors.

CEO of Dussur Raed al-Rayes stated that the company measures the development impact of projects before investing.

Rayes explained that Dussur portfolio has managed to attract more than SR1 billion worth of foreign investment and create more than 2,600 direct jobs by 2030, with an employment nationalization of no less than 65 percent, reaching as high as 90 percent in some projects.

The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company is a strategic industrial investment firm that partners with world-class experts to form state-of-the-art joint ventures, including M&A in the industrial sectors.



Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025
TT

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced that Saudi Arabia has ranked second globally in the Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025, placing just behind Germany among 193 countries, and maintaining its position in the highest “Leading” category of the global classification, according to a statement issued by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).

CST Acting Governor Eng. Haitham bin Abdulrahman Alohali stated that this achievement is the result of the support and enablement of the wise leadership, alignment of national digital economy directions with international multi-stakeholder initiatives, and strong collaboration between public and private sector entities through cooperative and participatory regulation, SPA reported.

He added that the Kingdom’s progress was further driven by adopting regulatory policies based on measuring social and economic impact, launching digital inclusion programs to empower all segments of society, implementing policies that promote development and innovation across sectors such as science, agriculture, and finance, and joining the Tampere Convention to facilitate the provision of telecommunications resources for disaster mitigation.

Alohali highlighted that attaining the highest “Leading” maturity level has contributed to accelerating the growth of Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, expanding the telecom and technology market, stimulating competition, attracting investment, and strengthening the Kingdom’s leading and active role within the ITU.

The statement added that this achievement reflects the efforts led by CST in collaboration with the National Regulatory Committee, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Digital Government Authority, Saudi Central Bank, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, Transport General Authority, General Authority of Media Regulation, National Cybersecurity Authority, Saudi Water Authority, Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority, General Authority for Competition, and Consumer Protection Association.


Saudi Arabia's STC in Joint Venture with Humain to Advance Data Center Buildout

A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
TT

Saudi Arabia's STC in Joint Venture with Humain to Advance Data Center Buildout

A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator STC on Thursday announced a joint venture with the kingdom's artificial intelligence company Humain to develop and operate data centers.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the venture, in which Humain will hold a 51% stake, while STC will own 49%, Reuters reported.

Humain, an AI company backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF, has secured several agreements including deals with Elon Musk's xAI and Blackstone-backed AirTrunk for data center projects in the country, and is targeting a capacity of about 6 gigawatts by 2034.
The joint venture will aim to develop infrastructure capable of supporting operations with a required load of up to 1 gigawatt, beginning with an initial deployment of up to 250 megawatts.


Oil Prices Edge Up After Reports of Possible US Sanctions on Russia, Venezuela Blockade

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)
TT

Oil Prices Edge Up After Reports of Possible US Sanctions on Russia, Venezuela Blockade

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 rose slightly on Thursday as investors assessed the likelihood of further US sanctions against Russia and the supply risks posed by a blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

Brent crude rose 32 cents or 0.54% to $60 per barrel at 0910 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 38 cents, or 0.68%, at $56.32 per barrel.

US intentions to impose more sanctions against Russia and its threatened blockade of tankers under sanctions and carrying Venezuelan oil pushed prices higher, PVM analyst John Evans said.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the US is preparing another round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector in the event Moscow does not agree to a peace deal with Ukraine, citing people familiar with the matter. A White House official told Reuters President Donald Trump had not made any decisions on Russian sanctions. Further measures targeting Russian oil could pose an even bigger supply risk to the market than Trump's announcement on Tuesday that the US would blockade tankers under sanctions entering and leaving Venezuela, ING analysts said in a note.

The Venezuela blockade could affect 600,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil exports, mostly to China, but 160,000 bpd of exports to the US would likely continue, ING said. Chevron vessels were continuing to depart for the US under a previous authorisation from the US government.

Most other Venezuelan exports remained on hold on Wednesday, although state oil company PDVSA restarted loading crude and fuel cargoes after suspending operations because of a cyberattack, sources and customs data indicated.

It was not clear how a US blockade would be enforced. The US Coast Guard last week took the unprecedented step of seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker and sources said the US was preparing for more such interdictions.

Venezuelan crude makes up around 1% of global supplies.