{"id":1212764,"date":"2022-01-12T23:04:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T04:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1212764"},"modified":"2022-01-12T23:04:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T04:04:37","slug":"saudi-aramco-sets-up-shop-in-china-to-push-non-metallic-construction-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/saudi-aramco-sets-up-shop-in-china-to-push-non-metallic-construction-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Aramco Sets Up Shop in China to Push \u2018Non-Metallic Construction Materials\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsaudi-aramco-sets-up-shop-in-china-to-push-non-metallic-construction-materials%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1212764&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>Saudi Aramco, the extremely wealthy national oil company of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday announced the establishment of a \u201cNon-Metallic Excellence and Innovation Center\u201d (NEXCEL) in Beijing to promote the use of alternatives to metal in construction projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>NEXCEL is a joint endeavor with the China Building Materials Academy, whose vice president Zhan Yanjing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aramco.com\/en\/news-media\/news\/2022\/new-center-of-excellence-for-nonmetallics-in-china\"><span>hailed<\/span><\/a><span> the partnership with Aramco as a \u201chistoric\u201d opportunity to develop \u201cgreen, low carbon solutions\u201d for \u201cglobal sustainable development.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cWe have been developing and deploying nonmetallic solutions within our own operations for more than 20 years as they offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives. Given the advantages of non-metallics, we believe that this new Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials will catalyze a wide range of exciting new opportunities,\u201d said Aramco Senior Vice President of Technical Services Ahmad al-Sa\u2019adi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Saudi Aramco has a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nonmetallic.org\/\"><span>similar partnership<\/span><\/a><span> in the United States with the American Concrete Institute, and in the United Kingdom with TWI Global and ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionweekonline.com\/business\/267951-why-oil-based-construction-materials-are-the-building-blocks-of-the-future\"><span>genera<\/span><\/a><span>l<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionweekonline.com\/business\/267951-why-oil-based-construction-materials-are-the-building-blocks-of-the-future\"><span> idea<\/span><\/a><span> behind the initiative is developing polymers based on petrochemicals that can replace materials such as carbon steel, which require a large volume of carbon dioxide emissions to manufacture. Advocates of non-metallic construction argue the buildings will last longer and be more energy-efficient than structures built on metallic frameworks. Among other benefits, polymers are more resistant to corrosion than metals.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_17190794\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1230820101.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17190794\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1230820101.png\" alt=\"Amin Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, speaks during the fourth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference at the capital Riyadh&#039;s Ritz-Carlton hotel on January 27, 2021. - Saudi Arabia opened a two-day Davos-style investment forum, with dozens of global policy makers and business tycoons lined up to speak at the largely virtual event amid the coronavirus pandemic. Only 200 of around 8,000 registered delegates attended in-person, while around 100 speakers are set to participate virtually with 50 present physically. Previous summits drew thousands of Wall Street titans and global policymakers. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE \/ AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Amin Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco. (FAYEZ NURELDINE\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Aramco, the world\u2019s largest oil company, happens to have a large supply of petrochemicals ready to go. The company <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refiningandpetrochemicalsme.com\/petrochemicals\/30067-shifting-sands-how-polymers-are-helping-aramco-preserve-its-desert-operations\"><span>says<\/span><\/a><span> it has developed non-metallic construction techniques that perform well, with reduced environmental impact, in the harsh Saudi desert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Construction firms have been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionweekonline.com\/business\/267951-why-oil-based-construction-materials-are-the-building-blocks-of-the-future\"><span>reluctant<\/span><\/a><span> to embrace non-metallics because they are considerably more expensive, including heavy up-front costs for switching to the construction equipment required to deploy them. There is also some unease about the lack of international standards for non-metallic construction compared to long-established standards for iron and steel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Aramco\u2019s announcement of NEXCEL tacitly acknowledged these reservations by listing \u201cstandards development and adoption\u201d would be among the center\u2019s top priorities. The emphasis on promoting more \u201cjoint projects in research\u201d and \u201cglobal collaboration\u201d suggests the effort to make non-metallics more cost-effective continues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A shift to petrochemical-based construction materials would certainly be a welcome development for a gigantic state enterprise that constantly worries about sliding demand for fossil fuels in the climate change era.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Arabian Business<\/span><\/i> <span>on Wednesday also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arabianbusiness.com\/industries\/construction\/saudi-aramco-and-chinas-cbma-to-advance-usage-of-non-metallics-in-construction-sector\">saw<\/a> the announcement of the NEXCEL project as part of Saudi Arabia\u2019s growing economic relationship with China:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>Last August \u2013 at the fifth China-Arab States Expo in northwest China\u2019s Ningxia Hui autonomous region and as part of China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative \u2013 Arab-China economic ties received a $24 billion boost, with deals agreed to pour investment into technology, tourism and renewables.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A total of 277 deals were struck, with $23.7bn pooled towards 199 projects, along with 24 trade projects worth $423 million with Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea integrated smart energy investment project among the projects that will receive Chinese money pledged at the event.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Shifting the Saudi economy away from its dependence on oil sales to traditional customers was a major element of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saudiembassy.net\/vision-2030\"><span>reform package<\/span><\/a><span> promoted by the current Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. As for diversifying its customer base, the Saudis now sell about a quarter of their oil to China, and on Wednesday Aramco <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2022\/1\/12\/aramco-gains-footing-in-russias-back-yard-with-polish-oil-deal\"><span>announced<\/span><\/a><span> a deal to supply almost half of Poland\u2019s oil, a bold move into energy rival Russia\u2019s backyard.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saudi Aramco, the extremely wealthy national oil company of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday announced the establishment of a \u201cNon-Metallic Excellence and Innovation Center\u201d (NEXCEL) in Beijing to promote the use &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1212764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1212764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1212764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1212764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1212764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1212764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1212764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}