Petrochemical complex advances in Qatar

Jan. 7, 2010
Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil Chemical Qatar Ltd. have agreed to advance development of a petrochemical complex that would include the world’s largest steam cracker at Ras Laffan, Qatar.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 7
-- Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil Chemical Qatar Ltd. have agreed to advance development of a petrochemical complex that would include the world’s largest steam cracker at Ras Laffan, Qatar.

The complex, which the companies still label “proposed,” would include a 1.6 million-tonne/year (tpy) steam cracker, two 650,000-tpy gas-phase polyethylene plants, and a 700,000-tpy ethylene glycol plant.

Feed will be natural gas from supergiant North field. The complex will use ExxonMobil steam cracking and polyethylene processes and product technologies.

The plant would start up in late 2015.