Doha: QatarEnergy announced on Monday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish Qatar Salt Products Company (QSalt), as an initiative by QatarEnergy’s TAWTEEN localization program.
According to its press release, this strategic partnership brought together Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company “MPHC” (40 percent share), Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Co. “QIMC” (30 percent share), and the Turkiye’s Atlas Yatirim Planlama (30 percent share).
The new joint venture will build a salt production plant in the Um Al Houl area in Qatar, to be operated by Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) and Qatar Vinyl Company (QVC).
HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of QatarEnergy Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi attended the MoU signing during a special ceremony held on Monday, in the presence of senior executives from QatarEnergy and the participating companies.
Commenting on the occasion, HE Minister Al Kaabi said, “We are pleased to witness the establishment of this very important joint venture that will help enhance Qatar’s self-sufficiency by producing both industrial and table salts to meet local demand and to support regional and international exports.” His Excellency added, “I would like to congratulate all partners and stakeholders in Qatar Salt Products Company on this achievement, which I believe will further support the supply chain and industrial localization in the State of Qatar, as well as promote sustainable environmental practices.” On his part, HE Chairman of Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Jabr Al-Thani expressed delight at being part of this pioneering project, the first of its kind in the region, which employs advanced technology to utilize brine from the desalination process. He praised QatarEnergy’s role in boosting private sector contribution to the national economy.
Also, in comments on the signing, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atlas Yatirim Planlama Nusret Argun said, “We are proud to have come to the realization phase of this project, which we have taken part in every stage. This facility will be the first facility of the Middle East region and it will serve localization and supply security by meeting both Industrial and Food-grade Salt needs. As a Turkish company in Qatar, we are pleased to be involved in such a project.” The new plant, which will be built at an estimated cost of about one billion Qatari Riyals, will also produce industrial salts essential for the petrochemical industry, along with Bromine, Potassium Chlorides, and demineralized water, which will be produced at a later stage, contributing to product diversification and economic growth.
This innovative facility will utilize reject water recovery from reverse osmosis (RO) desalination units, transforming waste from desalination processes into a valuable resource. With a production capacity of one million tons per annum, the plant will significantly reduce Qatar’s reliance on imported raw materials, addressing the current import of approximately 850,000 tons of table and industrial salts annually.
As part of the TAWTEEN program, the project will benefit from initiatives designed to enhance local content and support the growth of domestic industries. This collaboration highlights a strong public-private partnership aimed at achieving key national objectives.
QatarEnergy is an integrated energy company committed to the sustainable development of cleaner energy resources as part of the energy transition in the State of Qatar and beyond.
Source: Qatar News Agency