SABIC begins renewable energy use, develop materials for electronic appliances: official

Saudi Basic Industries Corp.’s (SABIC) technology and innovation center (T&I) is key to delivering the major petrochemical producer’s 2025 strategy, Fahad Al Sherehy, Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management, told Argaam in an exclusive.

He added that the petrochemical producer started to use renewable energy in industries and adopted a strategy to partially use it in its plants.

SABIC and its partners are contributing to developing the materials used in solar energy, Al Sherehy said, adding that the company is closely working with legislators in the Kingdom to use renewable energy and benefit from its relative advantages.

The petrochemical producer has more than 21 T&I centers around the globe, seven of which are located in the Kingdom.

It is important for these centers to be strategically located near customers, and have technical resources and work force to fulfill their duties on the level of technology and innovation.

He indicated that SABIC started as an importer of technologies to use them in its plants. Now, SABIC is exporting technologies, as it has over 25 technologies and granted more than 80 licenses around the world, including inside the Kingdom and overseas.

Since inception, the petrochemical giant has been seeking to invest in technology, as it started investing in human capital by attracting the world’s best cadres, as well as providing a favorable work environment through building state-of-the-art centers to help researchers perform their duties.

As regards investing in venture capital, Al Sherehy said that SABIC is acquiring some companies with advanced technologies, which speeds up the product access to the market.

He added that the petrochemical producer is developing around 150 products or applications for its products annually, including plastics that are distinguished by diversity, and is one of the most important indicators of T&I unit.

Additionally, SABIC is developing the materials used in the design of mobile phones, vehicles, aircraft and several electronic devices, in cooperation with the major manufacturers of mobile phones and vehicles. SABIC provides lightweight materials that give similar or superior performance to conventional materials, he explained.

The company has a portfolio of more than 10,000 patents registered around the world, Al Sherehy said, noting that it has moved from the quantitative to the qualitative stage as it is keen to protect its most important technologies.

Moreover, SABIC aims to minimize carbon emissions and industrial waste, and rationalize the consumption of energy and water as much as possible.

The company has achieved most of its goals and is moving towards overcoming greater challenges such as climate change, Al Sherehy concluded.