The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) announced a joint agreement to develop and test solutions for an electrically heated steam cracker unit. The partners have already collaborated to develop a possible scenario for using renewable electricity instead of the natural gas - fossil source - usually used in the heating process.

This innovative step - which targets one of the most important basic operations in the petrochemical industry - is part of the three companies ’endeavor to develop a promising solution that will contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 90 percent.

Steam cracking units play a major role in the production of basic chemicals, and they require a large amount of energy to break down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics, and the reaction usually occurs at temperatures up to 850 degrees Celsius in their furnaces that depend on burning fossil fuels, as the project aims to reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by achieving the required temperature using electricity from renewable sources.

For his part, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yusef Al-Bunyan explained that the agreement combines deep technical expertise and a focus on implementation that can help transform energy-intensive processes within the industry into low-carbon operations, pointing out that this pioneering sustainability initiative represents Part of SABIC's long-term vision and climate change strategy to transform its business by applying the concept of a circular carbon economy.