SOCAR Polymer LLC, a subsidiary of state-owned State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), started up the country’s first polypropylene (PP) plant in the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP), about 30 km north of Baku (OGJ Online, Oct. 26, 2015; Apr. 7, 2015).
The 180,000-tonne/year PP plant, which officially opened on July 18, will enable Azerbaijan to produce technological polymers with reduced environmental impacts to help diversify Azeri economy as well as attract foreign investments in high-tech sectors, said Maire Tecnimont SPA, Milan, whose subsidiaries Tecnimont SPA and KT-Kinetics Technology SPA delivered engineering, procurement, and construction services for the project.
Tecnimont and KT-Kinetics Technology also are currently completing a 120,000-tpy high-density polyethylene (PE) plant at SCIP for SOCAR Polymer that will be equipped with Ineos Technologies Ltd.’s proprietary Innovene S slurry technology for production of mono and bimodal high-density PE (OGJ Online, Feb. 5, 2016).
Maire Tecnimont estimated overall value of the PP and PE projects at about $500 million.
Details regarding startup of the PE plant have yet to be disclosed.
Official startup of the PP plant follows introduction of propylene feedstock from SOCAR subsidiary Azerikimya Production Union’s Sumgait naphtha steam cracking plant into the new production line on May 20, SOCAR Polymer said in a separate release.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
