Doha, Qatar: QatarEnergy has witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish Qatar Salt Products Company (QSalt).

This strategic partnership, an initiative by QatarEnergy’s Tawteen localisation programme, brought together Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company (MPHC) with 40% share, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Co (QIMC) with 30% share and the Turkiye’s Atlas Yatirim Planlama with 30% 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).

The MoU signing was witnessed by H E Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, during a special ceremony held yesterday at QatarEnergy’s Headquarters in Doha, which was attended by senior executives from QatarEnergy and the participating companies.

Commenting on this occasion, 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.”

“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 localisation in Qatar as well as promote sustainable environmental practices,” he added.

On his part, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Jabr Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company, expressed delight at being part of this pioneering project, the first of its kind in the region, which employs advanced technology to utilise brine from the desalination process. He praised QatarEnergy’s role in boosting private sector contribution to the national economy.”

Nusret Argun, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atlas Yatirim Planlama, said, “We are proud to have come to the realisation 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 localisation and ensure 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,” Argun added.

The new plant, which will be built at an estimated cost of about QR1bn will also produce industrial salts essential for the petrochemical industry, along with bromine, potassium chlorides, and demineralised water, which will be produced at a later stage, contributing to product diversification and economic growth.

This innovative facility will utilise 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 tonnes of table and industrial salts annually.

As part of the Tawteen programme, the project will benefit from initiatives designed to enhance local content and support the growth of domestic industries.

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