Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company was established in December 1979 as a joint venture between GCC member states for the manufacture of fertilisers and petrochemicals. The joint venture is equally owned by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, and Petrochemical Industries Company, Kuwait.
GPIC uses natural gas which is readily available in Bahrain as a feedstock for the production of ammonia, urea and methanol totalling 1.4 million tonnes each year. In addition to the production plants the GPIC Complex, which was built in Sitra on a reclaimed area of 60 hectares, comprises utilities plants, maintenance workshops, offices, stores and laboratories. The company employs 474 people of whom 95% are Bahrainis.
The company has a Board of Directors comprising representatives of the three shareholding states. The Board of Directors is chaired by HE Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Highness the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman. The company's executive management is led by Mr. Abdulrahman A. Hussain Jawahery, President.
GPIC considers itself a role model in the protection of the environment and was the first industrial company to use practical demonstration projects to verify the environmental credentials of its operations. A fish farm, bird sanctuary, palm tree plantations and herbal garden have been established at the GPIC site.
The challenges of regional and global climate change have always been taken up seriously at GPIC. In order to manage the green house gas emissions the Middle East's first carbon dioxide recovery plant has been commissioned at GPIC in 2010. The unit can capture 450 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per day from the reformer flue gases and will substantially improve the carbon foot print.
GPIC has a robust and internationally recognised Safety, Health and Environmental Management System. The company has won many accolades including the Sir George Earle Trophy from Rospa, UK and the R.W .Campbell award from National Safety Council, USA for excellence in HSE management systems.
The company has effective management systems and accreditation includes ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 18001. These three management systems have been integrated. GPIC is also certified to ISO 27001 that deals with information security and has voluntarily embraced Process Safety Management (PSM) at its facilities.
The company is a significant contributor to the national economy of Bahrain. Established with a paid up capital of US$ 159 million, GPIC's cumulative profits have exceeded a billion dollars. The company's activities, represented by natural gas purchases, employment and training of Bahraini nationals, utilisation of local contractors, power consumption and other financial and commercial operations inject around US$100 million annually into the national economy.
Bahrain
