The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) signed a contract with China National Chemical Engineering Company Co., Ltd. (CNCEC) worth $34 million in investments to establish an industrial project for soda ash production in the Sokhna Industrial Zone.
The agreement follows an October meeting between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and executives from CNCEC and its subsidiary, TCC Group, which underscored the strategic importance of the project as Egypt’s first integrated soda ash production complex.
The deal includes two integrated projects. The first, spanning an area of 100,000 square meters, aims to manufacture production facilities, lines, and equipment, as well as pipelines used in soda ash production plants, with a designed annual capacity of 20,000 tons of steel structures and 400,000diagonal inches of pipes.
This contract marks the first of two integrated projects, with the second expected to be established this year at Sokhna Port in two phases, with projected investments of $250 million.
The second project will cover a total area of 200,000 square meters, with an expandable quay extending over 350 to 400 meters. It targets to produce carbon steel, low-alloy steel, stainless steel, composite sheets, and different kinds of containers.
The two projects will be logistically integrated between the industrial zone and the port, facilitating the movement of large-scale components and finished products.
On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of SCZONE, said the project aligns with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to localize strategic industries, strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities, reduce imports, and maximize value-added production.
He affirmed that the SCZONE will provide full support and incentives for the successful implementation of both projects, leveraging the integrated infrastructure of Sokhna Industrial Zone and Sokhna Port, as well as Egypt’s free trade agreements that enable access to regional and global markets.
Soda ash represents major added value to the Egyptian economy by localizing the industry of products used in various sectors such as glass, detergents, paper, food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
In November, Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, inspected the early operational status of a soda ash and derivatives production complex located in the New Alamein City Industrial Zone. The project, first signed in August, is set to produce 600,000 tons per year (t/y0 of soda ash in its first phase.
