KBR announced on September 29 that SABIC Agri-Nutrients has selected its Purifier® technology for a new 3,500-metric-ton-per-day single-train ammonia plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, equivalent to approximately 1.2 million metric tons of annual production. KBR will provide technology licensing, basic engineering design, proprietary equipment and catalyst supply while working alongside EPC contractor Samsung E&A. Once the wider fertilizer complex is completed, SABIC Agri-Nutrients expects its annual urea production capacity to rise from 4.8 million to 7.4 million metric tons.
The ammonia unit will be built as a single-train facility and ranks among the largest licensed ammonia projects in Saudi Arabia. It is also KBR's largest ammonia technology license by capacity in the Middle East and Africa. The plant will use KBR's Purifier® process, which the company says is designed to lower carbon intensity per metric ton of ammonia compared with conventional configurations, while supplying feedstock for downstream urea production.
The ammonia plant forms part of a much broader fertilizer expansion. The project also includes two urea plants with combined annual capacity of approximately 2.6 million metric tons, together with a carbon-capture unit. The urea facilities will incorporate technology from Stamicarbon and thyssenkrupp Uhde Fertilizer Technology, while the carbon-capture system will use Shell Global Solutions International technology.
SABIC Agri-Nutrients had already taken the final investment decision on September 10 and awarded the overall EPC contract to Samsung E&A. The September 29 announcement therefore represents another project milestone rather than the initial approval of the investment, confirming the ammonia technology license, process configuration and KBR supply scope. KBR's role covers technology and key equipment rather than the full EPC package.
Once the new complex enters operation, SABIC Agri-Nutrients expects urea capacity to increase from approximately 4.8 million to 7.4 million metric tons per year, an increase of roughly 54%. The additional 2.6 million tonnes of urea capacity will be integrated with the new 1.2-million-tonne-per-year ammonia unit, creating a large-scale nitrogen fertilizer production chain.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Commissioning of the ammonia, urea and associated facilities is expected during the third quarter of 2030, followed by commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2030. The project also includes carbon-capture infrastructure intended to reduce the emissions intensity of fertilizer production.
SABIC Agri-Nutrients has positioned the expansion as a major element of its 2040 growth strategy. The company is already one of the world's major nitrogen fertilizer producers, supplying urea, ammonia and other agricultural nutrient products from Saudi Arabia to markets across Asia, Africa and other regions.
The award is KBR's second major single-train ammonia technology contract announced in 2026. Earlier this year, the company secured another project involving an approximately 3,430-MT/day ammonia facility in Latin America.
