A world of opportunities

Mohamed Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, visited the pavilion of Ukraine in the Opportunity District at Expo 2020 Dubai, which is held under the theme of ‘Smart Ukraine: Connecting Dots’.

Al Hussaini reiterated that the global event is an important gathering platform that contributes to bolstering cooperation and joint action in various fields, as well as exchanging experiences that stimulate creative minds and accelerate the innovation pace for the good of humanity across the world.

He noted that there are several innovations and ideas that will help draw a better future for the peoples of the world, and the participating pavilions display the best achievements of their countries in various fields and sciences. This, in turn, provides endless opportunities for financial, economic, commercial and scientific cooperation.

The Minister reaffirmed that through this edition of World Expo, the UAE offers the world a great opportunity to create pathways for positive change and open broad horizons for cooperation during the next stage, which requires global concerted efforts to provide a better future for current and future generations.

During his visit, Al Hussaini was briefed on the culture, heritage and life of the people of Ukraine, as well as the most important inventions such as solar blinds that generate energy, and an e-bike that can travel 380km after a single charge.

Argentina at Expo 2020:  Juan Usandivaras, Executive President of the Argentine Agency for Investment and International Trade (AAICI) and Commissioner General of Argentina at Expo 2020 Dubai, has said that his country’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai “illustrates our commitment to continue strengthening the strong bilateral relationship we have with the UAE, a key trade partner in the Middle East”.

In terms of trade, Argentina is showcasing the high growth potential of its agri-food products, taking into consideration the need to diversify bilateral trade with the UAE, he added.

In a statement to Emirates News Agency, Usandivaras said that the efforts made by the UAE to host Expo for the benefit of the 192 international participants have been extraordinary. “We are very proud to have supported those efforts and to be part of this key global event,” he noted.

Commenting on the UAE’s role in enhancing international cooperation, the Commissioner General said, “The UAE plays and has traditionally played an extraordinary role in international cooperation that Argentina values and appreciates. Hosting a Universal Expo in the present context speaks of the country’s extraordinary planning capacity, its unquestionable commitment to cooperation and its firm vocation to continue fostering the exchange between minds and visions among different peoples and nations and to find creative and sustainable solutions to global challenges.”

As for the role of Expo 2020 Dubai in helping resume international activity, Usandivaras said that his country is optimistic about the future and believes that the best way to prepare ourselves for it is to focus on the present. “That is why we have enthusiastically supported the impulse that the UAE has given to the realisation of Expo 2020 Dubai,” he said, adding that his country trusts the UAE’s ability to deepen exchanges between changemakers, citizens and entrepreneurs for the world to come, help “connecting minds and creating the future”.

Argentina Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai spreads over a total area of 400 sq m. With a slogan of “A World of Opportunities”, the pavilion is designed to maximise the comfort and sensory experience of the visitor. Its main attraction is a 148 sq m immersive room with state-of-the-art technology where 360 audiovisual content is projected for visitors to experience with all their senses the stunning beauty of Argentinian landscapes including Patagonian glaciers, Andes Mountains, the Puna, the Calchaqu?es valleys, Iber? Wetlands and the Iguaz? Falls. The pavilion also features the country’s immense cultural wealth and enormous potential in agribusiness, renewable energies and science and technology, among other fields. “The main pillars of our participation in Dubai Expo are the dissemination of our culture, the promotion of our goods and services (focusing on those technology-driven), as well as the creativity and talent of our people, our commercial potential, diversity of landscapes and enormous wealth in terms of natural resources,” Usandivaras said.

The Pavilion also has a multi-purpose space of 40 people capacity that hosts tastings of typical products, commercial presentations, official visits, events, cultural shows and special weeks, showcasing the immense potential of provinces of Argentina.

“We hope that our participation in the Expo will contribute to consolidating Argentina’s positive image at the international level and to spread our values. We want to show visitors the incredibly varied offer that our country has in terms of tourism, production, gastronomy, culture, technology and services. In short, we hope that visitors will discover in Argentina ‘a world of opportunities’,” Usandivaras concluded.

Borouge EPC contracts: Borouge, a leading petrochemical company providing innovative, value-creating polyolefin solutions, announced Sunday the award of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts for the world-scale fourth expansion of its manufacturing complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi (Borouge 4).

Adnoc and Borealis AG recently signed a strategic partnership that confirms a $6.2 billion (Dhs22 billion) investment agreement to build Borouge 4.

The EPC award underscores Borouge’s drive to unlock opportunities in polyolefin manufacturing, enable industrial growth, and maximise the value of every barrel produced in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

With this expansion, Borouge will become the world’s largest single-site polyolefin complex. The facility will also enable the next phase of growth at the Ruwais Industrial Complex by supplying feedstock to the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone.

Borouge undertook a front-end engineering design (FEED) and a competitive tender process; as part of the process leading up to the EPC awards.

The first package for Early Works, was awarded to Al Asab General Transport and Contracting LLC, a leading Abu Dhabi-based construction company. The Early Works package covers engineering, procurement and construction related to site preparation and early works of the world-scale expansion.

The second package of Borouge 4 was awarded to French construction giant, Technip Energies, in consortium with Target Engineering, to build the Ethane Cracker. This is Borouge’s fourth cracker with a manufacturing capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of ethylene output per annum. The last three packages of Borouge 4 were awarded to Italian industrial engineering company, Tecnimont.

The third package is for polyethylene and 1-hexene units covering the build of Borouge 4’s two new polyethylene manufacturing plants and 1-hexene unit; a component in the production of high-performance polyethylene. The fourth package is for utilities and offsites, which consists of constructing non-process buildings, roads, infrastructure, internal and external interfaces, tankage systems, flaring systems, utilities and integration of Borouge 4 with the existing facilities.

The fifth package is for building the second cross-linkable-polyethylene (XLPE) plant with a capacity of 100 thousand tonnes per annum.

The value of the contracts will contribute to UAE In-Country Value, with 60 percent of all engineering, procurement, commissioning, and construction activities managed by local companies and locally manufactured products, and materials. The award supports Adnoc’s In-Country Value (ICV) programme and highlights how Borouge and its shareholders continue to focus on ICV as it delivers on its 2030 strategy. As part of Borouge 4’s ICV contribution, the facility will create more job opportunities for UAE nationals in the private sector and promote economic diversification.

Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), said, “Borouge 4 is a key contributor to advancing the UAE’s ambitions for economic diversification, helping boost exports to customers globally. The growth in our world-scale complex will further strengthen Borouge’s international presence and enhances our In-Country Value. We are confident that Borouge 4 will be setting a new precedent that builds on our great successes over the last two decades, and instrumental in realising our 2030 growth strategy and sustainability targets.”

Rainer Hoefling, CEO of Borouge Pte, commented, “Borouge 4 is fundamental to reinforcing our commitment to our global customers and milestone in our story of growth. Our new facility enables us to actively respond to the growing global demand for energy, infrastructure, advanced packaging and agriculture solutions which have a positive impact on society and the environment.”

The scope of the award covers engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning activities for the polyolefin complex facilities required to facilitate the full production capacity of two new polyethylene plants - each with a capacity of 700,000 tonnes per annum, using the third generation of Borealis Borstar technology. These plants will be supplied by a world-scale ethane cracker with capacity of more than 1.5 million tonnes per annum of ethylene.

Borouge 4 will have an industry-leading focus on sustainability leveraging the capabilities of both shareholders. The facility will utilise Borealis’ proprietary Borstar technology, to produce a product portfolio focused on durable applications for energy, infrastructure, advanced packaging and agriculture sectors. This unique technology, in combination with Hexene co-monomer, will enable the production of advanced packaging grades with up to 50 percent recycled polyethylene content.

Subject to the successful conclusion of a study for a Carbon Capture unit that would reduce CO2 emissions by 80 per cent, the unit could be operational at the start-up of Borouge 4. The facility is also designed to capitalise upon Adnoc’s recent initiatives on clean energy, decarbonising its power supply through access to Abu Dhabi’s clean power sources. These initiatives are aligned with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

Borouge 4 will boost the company’s annual polyolefin production to 6.4 million tonnes, representing a fourteenfold increase in the overall production capacity since the first Borouge facility, producing 450,000 tonnes of polyethylene per annum was commissioned in 2001. Borouge’s value-add materials are used to manufacture a diverse range of products including industrial-grade pipes, cables, films and personal protective equipment.