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Dussur, Baker Hughes Inaugurate Petrolite Chemicals Facility in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkorayef at the inauguration of the Saudi Petrolite Chemicals. (Baker Hughes)
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkorayef at the inauguration of the Saudi Petrolite Chemicals. (Baker Hughes)
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Dussur, Baker Hughes Inaugurate Petrolite Chemicals Facility in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkorayef at the inauguration of the Saudi Petrolite Chemicals. (Baker Hughes)
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkorayef at the inauguration of the Saudi Petrolite Chemicals. (Baker Hughes)

Baker Hughes announced on Sunday the inauguration of its joint venture (JV) oilfield and industrial chemicals manufacturing plant in Jubail Industrial City, eastern Saudi Arabia.

The new plant will cater to oilfield, power generation, and industrial chemicals industries.

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef attended the inauguration.

Baker Hughes signed the joint venture with Dussur, which is owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Aramco, and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

The joint venture was announced a year ago, and the Texas-based oilfield services holds a 51 percent stake in the project.

The facility will be known as the Saudi Petrolite Chemicals facility. It will increase Saudi Arabia’s supply base targets of raw materials like solvents and glycols.

It also aims to accelerate the development of manufacturing skills and capabilities of the local workforce with more than 70% Saudization.

With faster delivery of fit-for-purpose chemical solutions, the facility is closer to customers and suppliers, creating efficiencies across the business.

Dussur CEO Raed al-Rayes said the inauguration of the project comes within Dussur’s efforts to cooperate with its partners for strategic localization to maximize the developmental and economic impact in the Kingdom.

“At Dussur, we are proud and appreciative of today’s partnership with Baker Hughes, which marks a significant milestone. This new project will provide special, distinguished opportunities for the sons and daughters of our nation as we target a Saudization rate of more than 70%,” said Rayes.

Baker Hughes CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said: “Today is a testament to Baker Hughes and Dussur's continued efforts to drive in-country value to better serve the chemicals market in the Kingdom and across the region. Aligned to the Kingdom’s vision.”

Simonelli stated that the inauguration of the facility marked another milestone in the Kingdom’s remarkable journey of economic and industrial growth.

“For Baker Hughes, I am proud to be a part of this journey we started more than 85 years ago in Saudi Arabia as we invest in growth together.”

The Saudi Petrolite Chemicals facility spans approximately 90,000 square meters with an on-site quality control lab, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide pipeline feedstock, and 14 storage tanks.

The facility manufactures chemicals for oilfield, power generation, and industrial chemicals.

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Business

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."