SABIC Agri-Nutrients Plans Seventh Urea Plant in Jubail

SABIC Agri-Nutrients is moving ahead with a seventh ammonia–urea complex in Jubail Industrial City in the Eastern Province, a project set to lift its total urea capacity by 54%. The company has awarded the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract valued at about USD 3.47 billion, with construction scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The new complex will produce 1.2 million tonnes 6 million tonnes and will be equipped with a post-combustion carbon capture unit. Once operational, the plant is expected to deliver around 7,700 metric tons of urea all dedicated to export.

The project design was revised from an earlier low-carbon (blue) ammonia plan — which combined low-carbon ammonia, 1.1 million tonnes of urea and specialized agri-nutrients — to conventional ammonia and urea. The company received feedstock allocation approval from the Saudi Ministry of Energy on 25 March 2026 (06 Shawwal 1447H), and reached a final investment decision in September 2026.

Commissioning is planned for the third quarter of 2030 for about four months, with commercial production starting in the fourth quarter of 2030. The added volumes will be directed primarily to Asian markets, as well as the United States and Canada, to absorb the production surge and strengthen the company's position in the global agricultural nutrients market.

To support long-haul exports, SABIC Agri-Nutrients is raising the share of production shipped from Jubail to west coast ports from around 40% of daily output toward a target of about 70%. The expansion, paired with integrated carbon capture and optimized logistics, is aimed at meeting rising global demand for urea while reducing the carbon footprint per tonne — a move that reinforces the Kingdom's role as a major fertilizer exporter and supports the broader industrial economy.

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