In his keynote address during the opening ceremony of the 17th annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Forum, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, welcomed the event’s focus on energy transition issues as represented in this year’s theme: ‘Mobilizing Chemistry for Impactful Transformation’. His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi also stressed the need for a realistic and equitable energy transition while recognizing the inherent challenges in the transition process.
Commenting on the industry’s regional priorities beyond the energy transition, His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi said: “This year’s event provides a valuable platform to discuss strategic priorities such as driving operational excellence, advancing new technologies and enhancing production efficiency.”
Highlighting GPCA’s achievements, His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi noted that “since its establishment in 2006, the GPCA has worked diligently to build a strong GCC chemical industry. Today, with more than 250 member companies from the chemical and allied industries, GPCA is focused on dealing with the most important challenges and trends impacting the use of petrochemical products. At the same time, it is placing great emphasis on promoting energy efficiency, developing new energy sources, and delivering unique projects.”
His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, recognized a number of strategic, world-scale petrochemical projects that are placing Qatar firmly on the industry’s global map, including the Ras Laffan Petrochemical Project and the Blue Ammonia plant.
Minister Al-Kaabi added: “We take pride in building the world’s largest Blue Ammonia plant that will produce 1.2 million tons per annum of blue ammonia. This plant will be the most sustainable facility of its kind. QatarEnergy in partnership with Chevron Phillips has recently announced the start of construction of two ethane crackers with a capacity of more than 2 million tons per annum each, one in state of Qatar and the other in the USA. They will be the largest in the MENA region and the world respectively with an expected startup by the end of 2026. These projects constitute part and parcel of a wide array of projects here in the GCC that our industry is embarking on to raise production to meet the growing global demand as populations grow and as living standards rise.”
The Annual GPCA Forum, which is being held in Qatar for the first time, is the flagship petrochemical event in the Middle East, bringing together officials and executives of the leading petrochemical and chemical industry companies for an exchange of views on the current state and future prospects of the industry.