A unit of OAO Lukoil has resumed operations at a petrochemical plant in Kalush, Ukraine, after a year of suspension.
Karpatneftekhim has the capacity to produce 300,000 tonnes/year of polyvinyl chloride, 200,000 tpy of caustic soda, 180,000 tpy of chlorine, 250,000 tpy of ethylene, and 100,000 tpy of polyethylene.
Operations were suspended in September 2012 “due to unfavorable conditions in the petrochemical market,” the company said. In April, Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers and Lukoil signed a memorandum “to bring the plant to a cost-effective production level.” A large-scale upgrade of the plant occurred during 2008-11.
