25 Billion Dollars Investment Project in the Special Industrial Zone in Adana from SASA Polyester

SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş. aims to add value to the petrochemical sector with the facilities it plans to build with a $25 billion investment in the area declared a “special industrial zone” in Adana’s Yumurtalık district.

With the decision signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette on August 16, a 5.5 million square meter area in Yumurtalık was declared the “SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş. Yumurtalık Special Industrial Zone.”

The first phase of the projects, which will be implemented in three stages in the region, will include a 1.2 million-ton polypropylene (durable plastic raw material used in packaging, textiles and automotive) production facility, a refinery with an annual capacity of 13 million tons, and an integrated port. Construction work in the region, where SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş. plans to invest $25 billion for the projects, will begin in the first or second quarter of 2026.

“Our Goal is to Produce High Value-Added Products”

Mehmet Şeker, a member of the Board of Directors of SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş., said that the announcement regarding the petrochemical and refinery facilities and port project investments, with a total investment value of $25 billion, was published on the Public Disclosure Platform (PDP) on August 18. Şeker stated that aromatic chemical products imported by Turkiye will be produced in the facilities.

Şeker stated that they once again understood the importance of raw material production during the COVID-19 period, saying, “Our main goal is to produce raw materials and high value-added products. By increasing our exports, we want to reduce imports and foreign dependency. We set out with this goal in mind. Hopefully, we will be successful.”

Şeker stated that they are trying to contribute to the country’s economy with new investments and said: “Turkiye has imports of over 20 billion dollars in aromatic chemicals and also needs approximately 2.5 million tons of polypropylene annually. Gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and paraxylene, the raw material for polyester, will be produced here. By producing these products from naphtha and petroleum condensate, we will prevent chemical imports. At SASA, our purified terephthalic acid (PTA) production began at 4,800 tons per day and approximately 1,750,000 tons per year. We used to import it, but now we don’t. After the investment in Yumurtalık, we will no longer import paraxylene, the raw material for PTA.”

“We will Prevent Imports Worth Between 6 and 7 Billion Dollars”

Şeker, noting that they export to the US, as well as European, African, and Far Eastern countries, said, “With these new products, we will be reducing Türkiye’s imports somewhat. We will produce products needed by the domestic market and export the rest to various countries around the world. When the facility becomes operational in four years, it will allow us to prevent imports of $6-7 billion. Some companies in Türkiye will make new products from the raw materials we produce. This place, Yumurtalık, will become a massive chemical industry zone in 10-15 years and will make significant contributions to both Adana and the Mediterranean Region.”

Şeker, who stated that they currently employ approximately 5,000 people within SASA, said, “With the new project, we plan to employ 8,000 to 10,000 people during the construction of the facilities and 2,500 to 3,000 people in the final phase.”