Saudi Aramco, Baker Hughes sign deal for non-metallic materials facility

Saudi Aramco and Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create a new joint venture facility in Saudi Arabia, the state oil giant said in a statement.

The facility will manufacture non-metallic materials which will be used in a variety of areas of the energy industry, the statement said.

The joint venture will initially focus on non-metallic reinforced thermoplastic pipes as a first and critical step towards developing such capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Aramco has successfully deployed more than 5,000 kilometers of non-metallic pipes, resulting in a significant increase in efficiency and reduction in maintenance and replacement costs across the company’s operations,” Saudi Aramco’s senior vice president for Technical Services, Ahmad Al Sa’adi, said.

“Producing these materials in the Kingdom would also unlock opportunities for local manufacturers and facilitate knowledge transfer,” he added.

Saudi Aramco recently opened the Non-metallic Innovation Center in the UK in collaboration with the Welding Institute and the National Structural Integrity Research Centre to conduct research and development of non-metallic technologies.