Hamdi Group, a Saudi Arabian mining company, plans to build a $1.4 billion chemical plant in Jordan, the chairman said. Construction will start in the second quarter, with the factory producing 310,000 tons of phosphoric acid annually once it is operational in less than two years, Abdul Karim Al-Hamdi said in an interview in Amman Sunday. “Our group has plans to invest more in the mining sector in Jordan as this sector is very strategic and vital for the group,” Al-Hamdi said after signing an agreement with the Jordan Investment Board. “We seek to open new markets in South Asia, India, Pakistan and some African countries. Demand for fertilizers is on the rise.” The total capacity will be eventually doubled, he said, without specifying a timeframe. Separately, solar services company Petra Solar has bought Jordan-based EnergyFlow Consulting LLC, a provider of software and hardware to energy producers and consumers, plans to expand its presence in the Middle East. Petra named former EnergyFlow CEO Hisham Othman as a vice president to lead its expansion in the Middle East and Africa, the South Plainfield, New Jersey-based company said in a statement Thursday. “EnergyFlow Consulting is a huge asset to us as we expand our business,” Petra CEO Shihab Kuran said in the statement. EnergyFlow, whose customers range from power utilities to water utilities and oil & gas producers to chemical companies, also offers project development consultancy.
