The Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG) and Unibio International PLC have announced plans to build the world’s largest single-cell protein plant in Saudi Arabia through an 80:20 joint venture. The facility, to be located in Al Jubail, aims to support global food security and reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on imported animal feed.
The plant will initially produce 50,000 tonnes of Uniprotein® annually, with plans to scale production to over 300,000 tonnes in the coming years. The product is expected to be sold both domestically and internationally.
Since SIIG’s investment in Unibio in 2023, the partners have made significant progress towards developing the project, which will be based on Unibio’s patented vertical loop bioreactor technology. With access to abundant natural gas, Saudi Arabia provides favourable conditions for the company’s fermentation process, which uses natural gas as feedstock to produce single-cell protein. The initiative also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy and drive innovation.
Front-end engineering design (FEED) for the project was completed last year, with construction expected to begin in the second half of 2026 and commercial operations anticipated to start in 2028. The facility is set to become the largest of its kind globally. The project has secured gas allocation from the Saudi Ministry of Energy, and a site has been designated by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, alongside broader government support.
The joint venture follows a US$70 million investment by SIIG in Unibio in 2023, supporting the group’s strategy to expand and diversify its operations.
Commenting on the JV, David Henstrom, CEO of Unibio, said, “The world needs innovators who collectively want to find a solution to providing food stability for future generations. We believe that our fermentation technology, which incorporates the most efficient reactor of its kind in gas fermentation, is ideal for Saudi Arabia. We are delighted to join with SIIG as a JV partner to bring industrial scale fermentation to the Kingdom and look forward to working together to address an authentic problem – how to feed a growing population with minimal impact on the planet”.
Mr Abdulrahman Alismail of Saudi Industrial Investment Group, added, “We are excited to work on developing this project alongside our partner Unibio, and look forward to bringing sustainable protein production to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our region, and the rest of the world. We see this as a strategic investment for our company and the long-term growth in shareholder value. Using Unibio’s technology, we aim to make Saudi Arabia the leader in single-cell protein production and improve food security for both Saudi Arabia and the world’s growing population”.
