SABIC Agri-Nutrients is undertaking the construction of the San VII Ammonia & Urea complex in Jubail Industrial City, Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

The San VII / Horizon 1 project, launched by SABIC Agri-Nutrients in oil-rich Jubail Industrial City with the original aim of building a low-carbon ammonia and urea complex—providing around 1.2 million tonnes per annum of blue (i.e., CO2-captured) ammonia alongside 1.1 million tonnes of urea and specialty agri-nutrients—to help Saudi Arabia accelerate its sustainable energy and agricultural goals under Vision 2030. The project secured feedstock allocation from the Ministry of Energy and includes state-of-the-art carbon capture, reforming technologies, and a green hydrogen electrolyzer.

However, in March 2026, SABIC announced a strategic reversal: the blue ammonia / low-carbon intent has been dropped in favor of a conventional ammonia-urea complex. Under the revised design, the seventh ammonia and urea facility will produce roughly 1.2 MMTA of conventional ammonia and about 2.6 MMTA of urea. This shift significantly increases urea capacity—with output rising from approximately 4.8 to 7.4 million tonnes annually—reflecting evolving considerations of feedstock availability, cost, market demand, and regulatory environment. The project remains important as a regional fertilizer hub to meet surging domestic and export demand, stabilizing food supplies and reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s role in global agricultural supply chains.

The facility will feature a 1.2 million metric ton annual capacity ammonia plant utilizing KBR technology, alongside two urea plants with a combined annual yield of 2.6 million metric tons licensed from Nextchem (Stamicarbon) and thyssenkrupp Uhde. Alignment with the group’s decarbonization targets is secured through the integration of a large-scale carbon capture unit powered by Shell Global Solutions technology, which will significantly minimize operational emissions intensity.

The US$3,470 million project includes the following:

1. Construction of an ammonia plant with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million metric tons

2. Construction of two urea plants with a combined annual production capacity of 2.6 million metric tons

3. Construction of bulk off-site loading and storage (ammonia tanks not certified blue, vapour control)

4. Construction of processing units for standard urea and commodity agri-nutrients (granular, prilled forms)

5. Construction of distribution units (road/rail/sea export facilities, bagging, bulk)

6. Installation of hydrogen compressors (for internal synthesis gas and ammonia refrigeration)

7. Construction of a carbon capture unit

8. Replacement of three flare headers (standard code flame arrestors)

9. Installation of valves (industrial spec: process and safety valves, no low-leakage special certification)

10. Laying of pipelines (for feed gas, ammonia, steam, cooling water)

11. Mechanical & instrumentation works (standard control systems; no carbon-capture monitoring)

12. Construction of associated auxiliary facilities (administration, maintenance, workshops, wastewater control)