Saudi Arabia set to host largest single-cell protein plant
A record-breaking plant to produce animal and aquafeed from single-celled organisms looks set to be built in Saudi Arabia, following an agreement between Danish biofermentation company Unibio and the Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG).
Unibio welcomed SIIG as an investor in 2023. Since then, the partners have made significant progress preparing to build the world’s largest single-cell protein plant in Saudi Arabia based on Unibio’s patented vertical loop bioreactor technology.
The joint venture partners argue that, with its abundance of natural gas, Saudi Arabia is an ideal location to use Unibio’s unique fermentation technology to produce single-cell protein – Uniprotein® - with natural gas as feedstock. As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify its economy and create dynamic opportunities for its citizens through education, entrepreneurship and innovation.
The plant will be located in Al Jubail and will produce an initial 50,000 tonnes of Uniprotein® annually with plans to increase to over 300,000 tonnes in the coming years.
The joint venture aims to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependency on animal feed imports. The Uniprotein® produced is expected to be sold both domestically and internationally.
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”.
Gas turned into feed
The plant will use Unibio’s proprietary vertical loop bioreactor technology, a continuous-flow fermentation process that replicates nature in converting methane into Uniprotein®, a high-quality and sustainable single-cell protein for animal feed.
Uniprotein® has been tested successfully in various animal species. Non-GMO, free from pesticides, and fully traceable, it is approved for aquaculture in Saudi Arabia, for feed in the EU and has additional registrations globally.
The front-end engineering design (FEED) was completed last year, and construction of the plant is anticipated to commence in the second half of 2026, with commercialisation expected to start in 2028. This facility will be the largest single-cell protein facility ever built in the world. A gas allocation for the plant has been received from Saudi Ministry of Energy, and a site has been nominated by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. The project has also received strong support from a number of related Saudi Government entities.
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”.
The Joint Venture agreement follows a US$ 70 million (£52.6m) investment in Unibio from SIIG in 2023. SIIG’s strategy to grow and diversify its business – will be accelerated by its investment in Unibio, the Saudi company said.
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