Saudi’s SAFCO 5 urea plant launches trial operations

Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Company (SAFCO) said on Thursday that it has launched trial operations at its SAFCO 5 urea plant. 

The plant needs an additional three months to start its commercial production stage, the company said in a statement to Tadawul.

The trial operation came after the plant’s construction and mechanical works were finalized.

Financial impact on the company’s earnings will materialize once the plant enters its commercial production phase, the company said. 

According to Argaam, the Jubail-based plant’s production capacity is estimated to be about 1.1 million tons per year.

In 2011, SAFCO granted the plant’s engineering contracts, procurement, and construction to Italian contractor SAIPEM.

The project was set to be implemented within 26 months starting from the third quarter of 2014, according to data compiled by Argaam.