Mepco Delays Paperboard Plant Startup Amid Regional Tensions

MT Newswires · 3d ago
02:30 AM EDT, 09/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Middle East Paper Co. (SASE:1202), d/b/a Mepco, revised the completion timeline and estimated cost of its paperboard manufacturing plant project due to supply chain disruptions driven by regional tensions. The paperboard products manufacturer said Wednesday that trial and commercial production are now expected to begin in the first quarter of 2028, compared with the previous target of the fourth quarter of 2027. Mepco also raised the project's estimated cost to 1.88 billion Saudi riyals from 1.78 billion riyals, citing higher civil construction, freight and logistics costs, as well as upgraded energy solutions for steam and power.