Baku, Azerbaijan, April 25
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
The project on reconstruction and modernization of the Ethylene-Polyethylene plant of the Azerikimya Production Association, operating under Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, was executed by 33.5 percent, said Deputy Executive Director for Investments and Development of the Azerikimya PA Orkhan Jafarov.
He made the remarks at the 3rd SOCAR International Caspian and Central Asia Downstream Forum on Trading, Logistics, Refining and Petrochemicals in Baku April 25.
He said that the construction of new facilities began in 2017, and will cover the period until the end of 2019.
"Thanks to this project, the ethylene production will increase from 100,000-105,000 tons to 192,000 tons a year, the propylene production will increase from 50,000-55,000 to 187,000 tons a year. The operational period of the plant will increase by another 20 years," he said.
Particularly, according to him, four new pyrolysis furnaces and a PSA hydrogen treatment unit will be built, which will allow increase purification of the hydrogen fraction up to 99.9 percent.
Jafarov went on to say that it's also planned to build a new hydrogen electrolysis unit, a new purification plant for propane-propylene fraction, cleaning raw materials from pollutants and poisons (sulfur, water, arsenic, mercury, phosphine, mono and carbon dioxide), a dry gas cleaning plant and a new DCS for EP-300, as well as to construct a new storage facility for ethylene and propylene.
He noted that to date the project is completed at 33.5 percent.
"The engineering work is completed by 88.3 percent, procurement - by 45.9 percent and construction itself - by 13.7 percent. Presently, within the framework of the project, the number of workers at the facility is 950 people, and at the peak it will reach 2,000 people," Jafarov said.
He added that 100 percent of equipment orders and 90 percent of orders for bulk materials have already been placed.
"All equipment and materials will be supplied by 50 suppliers from 15 countries until September 2018. In general, the modernized plant is planned to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2020. This project will allow to produce high-quality products, promote Azerbaijani products around the world, including in CIS countries, Turkey, Eastern Europe, China and bring foreign currency to Azerbaijan, "Jafarov said.
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