ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 3. KazMunayGas (KMG, Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company), Russian Sibur, and Chinese Sinopec have signed the Protocol of Participants for the Silleno project, Trend reports.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the seventh meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council.
Thus, the parties confirmed their intention to agree on the final investment budget for the implementation of the Silleno project - the construction of the first integrated gas chemical complex for the production of polyethylene with a capacity of 1.25 million tons in the Atyrau region.
In addition, the protocol provides for the parties’ desire to ensure the highest level of Kazakhstani content in the fields of design, procurement of equipment and materials, and construction during the implementation of the project, taking into account economic and technical feasibility.
To note, the polyethylene production project is an important stage in the development of the petrochemical industry in Kazakhstan. Its implementation will have a multiplier effect on the country's economy, which is expected to lead to an increase in GDP by 1.2 percent and will open up new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses in the production of polyethylene products.
Meanwhile, in April 2024, a tripartite protocol was signed, officially completing Sinopec's entry into the project for the construction of a polyethylene production plant with a capacity of 1.25 million tons in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. The structure of project participants is as follows: KazMunayGas – 40 percent; Sinopec – 30 percent; Sibur – 30 percent.
The cost of the joint project of three large companies will be about $7.7 billion, and the plant’s capacity will be 1.25 million tons per year, which is 1 percent of all global capacity.
To supply the "Polyethylene" project with raw materials (ethane), a gas separation complex will be built at the Tengiz field. The gas separation complex's capacity is 9.1 billion cubic meters of dry gas processing per year, of which it is expected to produce 1.6 million tons of ethane. Ethane will be sent through the main pipeline from Tengiz to the Karabatan site, where the polyethylene production plant will operate.
The enterprise plans to produce about 22 grades of polyethylene using American-licensed technologies from Chevron Phillips and Univation, of which 40 percent will be premium class.
Construction of the plant is planned to be completed by 2029. More than 8,000 jobs will be created during the construction period, and about 850 jobs will be created during the operation period.