The Path to Electrification

At SABIC, we recognize both the profound effects of climate change and the opportunity which exists for businesses to take a leading role in carving the path toward a low carbon economy. Managing our impact on the environment is a core priority, which is why we embed sustainability at the core of our work to meet the challenges of maintaining a liveable planet. SABIC is committed to accelerating the development and adoption of new market-focused solutions that meet society’s demands for environmental protection.

Environmental Capital

To ensure a successful future, every global business must have a robust climate strategy. Since 2010, SABIC has set sustainability targets, driving us to embark on the development of a holistic new strategy to propel long-term success. 

We are focused on two important steps: building climate roadmaps for different regions of our business and setting the stage to develop science-based targets for our company. To understand the risks and costs of climate change, we studied a variety of possibilities, considering situations in which we run business-as-usual, to where those where we took ambitious action. These studies have reinforced our approach to work in the near term toward energy-efficiency goals while pursuing investments in fields like electrification, that will get SABIC closer to the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century.

In 2020, we developed our global Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management (EECM) initiative, which sets the direction for SABIC’s energy efficiency portfolio. This initiative is designed to identify compliance risks, monitor new initiatives, and provide advice where needed. Two key roadmaps address SEEC (Saudi Energy Efficiency Center) short- and long-term perspectives, and Europe Climate issues, including furnace electrification.

Electrification 

In the short term, we are targeting technologies with high readiness levels, including the opportunity to install electric compressors and pumps that could reduce GHG emissions. Over the long term, we are working to create and embed sustainable solutions for our business and customers, building climate resilience into our business every day through innovations like electrification. 

Electrification of our assets is expected to increase our electricity demand greatly, a demand which must be met with the use of renewable energy. In 2020, SABIC collaborated with a group led by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which focused on how the chemical industry can accelerate and scale up the use of low carbon electrification technologies in chemical production.

In driving our longer-term goals, we are developing these technologies in collaboration with our industry peers. In 2021, we signed a joint agreement with BASF and Linde to develop and demonstrate solutions for electrically heated steam cracker furnaces. Steam crackers play a central role in the production of basic chemicals and require a significant amount of energy to break down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics. 

With conventional technology, the energy required for cracking is supplied by burning natural gas, resulting in large CO2 emissions. This joint project aims to reduce these CO2 emissions by instead powering the process with electricity. Through the use of electricity from renewable sources, the proposed new process technology has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90%. By focusing on one of the petrochemical industries’ core processes, SABIC is working with peers on promising solutions to significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions within the chemical industry.

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Today’s mobility industry is increasingly moving toward battery-powered electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. While challenges like battery prices and efficiency, lack of charging infrastructure, and a delay in common legislation impact the pace of implementation, the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market has seen increased levels of growth over the past few years. 

Recognizing this, SABIC’s specialty materials are helping to address the shift towards electrification, with its focus on renewable energy, energy storage, and advances in mobility including battery technologies. In 2021, SABIC developed two new applications – a plug-in hybrid EV battery pack cover with Honda and a Ford Mach E EV tailgate structure – that address the need for light weighting. The products support carbon emissions reduction and remove significant weight. Both products were nominated as finalists at the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Innovation Awards.Moreover, with an increased offering of hybrid and fully electric vehicles coming to market, the demand for materials to support powertrains, battery-pack components, battery protection and EV service equipment (EVSE) is met by a range of SABIC Specialties materials. NORYL GTX™ resin can serve structurally in honeycomb metal/ plastic hybrid rocker panels for EV battery crash protection, battery cell spacer, or in charging port covers, connectors and sockets for EVSE. 

Meanwhile, our LNP™ compounds, formulated to deliver pinpoint effects such as conductivity, EMI/RFI shielding, thermal dissipation, tuneable dielectrics, and electro-static dissipation, have been specified into a wide range of electric vehicle applications, including those supporting ADAS. 

Combining specialty thermoplastics expertise with in-depth knowledge of industry trends, SABIC is committed to keeping its customers in the E-Mobility industry at the leading edge of materials and processing technologies.