Baku, Azerbaijan, March 15
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
SOCAR GPC, a gas-processing project of Azerbaijan’s state oil company of SOCAR, has selected UNIPOL™ PE Technology licensed by Univation Technologies for use in its polyethylene plant.
This project represents the first UNIPOL™ PE Process licensed in Azerbaijan and by SOCAR.
The new polyethylene facility will take advantage of the flexibility of the UNIPOL™ PE Process to manufacture conventional and advanced polyethylene products covering a broad range of both high-density polyethylene (HDPE), including best-in-class HDPE injection molding grades, as well as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resin grades.
SOCAR GPC has also selected Univation’s XCAT™ Metallocene Polyethylene Technology for the manufacture of advanced metallocene film structures suitable for high-performance food packaging, stretch-wrap, heavy-duty sack and specialized multi-layer applications.
“We are honored that SOCAR GPC has selected UNIPOL™ PE Technology as a key element in achieving their company’s vision for this exciting, new world-scale polyethylene project,” said Steven Stanley, President of Univation Technologies. “We look forward to working with both SOCAR GPC and Linde Engineering as together we move this project to a safe and successful start-up.”
According to SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, choosing the UNIPOL™ PE Process for its proven, reliable manufacturing capability was critical in reaching the goals for the overall SOCAR GPC facility.
“The SOCAR GPC project is a significant cornerstone in creating an Azerbaijan-focused manufacturing hub that will include local end-use convertors and suppliers – and we are excited at the prospect of achieving greater value capture across the entire polyethylene conversion chain,” said Abdullayev.
The reliability and flexibility of the UNIPOL™ PE Process is a critical enabler for SOCAR GPC to participate in a broad variety of both domestic and export market segments including HDPE applications as well as conventional and metallocene-based LLDPE applications, he said.
“We have confidence that this project’s success will allow SOCAR GPC to achieve our company’s goals of creating significant value for our customers, contributing to the growth of the Azerbaijan economy, and creating job opportunities for the local workforce,” added SOCAR ‘s president.
SOCAR has launched GPC Project to maximize added value of the upstream-midstream-downstream oil and gas chain and create a cutting-edge standard processing industry in Azerbaijan.
The primary purpose of the project is to provide the end users in the country with purified natural gas and ensure production of high value added polymers.
Under the SOCAR GPC Project, gas processing and petrochemical plants will be built in Garadagh, 15 km south of Baku.
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