Arab Finance: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi discussed accelerating the implementation of several strategic industrial and petrochemical projects in Egypt with a delegation from China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation (CNCEC), according to a statement.

CNCEC is serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for key projects, including the Soda Ash Production Project in New Alamein and the Red Sea National Petrochemicals Company complex in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE).

During the meeting, Badawi emphasized the need to expedite work on the Soda Ash project, given its strategic importance in localizing an industrial product that is currently imported into Egypt.

He also underlined ongoing efforts to increase the project's local content, aiming to maximize value addition and support national industry.

The minister further outlined the strategic importance of the Red Sea Petrochemicals complex as one of the country's largest industrial projects under development. The complex is expected to produce a wide range of high-value petroleum and petrochemical products, leveraging Egypt's strategic location and advanced infrastructure to reinforce its position as a regional hub for petroleum and petrochemical trade.

For his part, Deng Zhaojing, the General Manager of CNCEC, asserted that the close relations between Egypt and China provide a solid foundation for expanding joint projects.

The group is currently executing and investing in a number of major projects in Egypt, including the Soda Ash Project, the Red Sea Complex, metallurgical silicon, and bioethanol projects, he noted.