Page 13 - FSUOGM Week 10 2021

FSUOGM POLICY FSUOGM

Kazakhstan to launch five

petchem plants by 2025

KAZAKHSTAN KAZAKHSTAN is looking to establish itself as Borealis was expected to help build a 1.25mn
a key regional petrochemicals producer over tpy polyethylene plant in Atyrau as well, but the
France's Air Liquide the coming years, with plans to bring into oper- company pulled out in May last year, citing the
meanwhile has taken ation five new plants by 2025, its government impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pan-
control of some Kazakh has said. demic on markets. United Chemical Co. has said
nitrogen and hydrogen Kazakh Energy Minister Nurlan Nogaev it will continue with the scheme, even though
production units. announced on March 5 that his department it was not mentioned by Kazakhstan’s energy
was preparing a national plan to support devel- ministry.
opment and make the sector more attractive to French gas technology firm Air Liquide,
foreign investors. The plan envisages three new meanwhile, won a contract in October 2019
plants being built in the western Atyrau region, to build the Atyrau nitrogen facility. In related
along with two more in Shymkent and Uralsk. news, Air Liquide has expanded its business in
The Atyrau facilities include a 500,000 tonne Kazakhstan this week through the acquisition of
per year polypropylene plant, a production train hydrogen and nitrogen production trains at the
for industrial gases, capable of producing 57mn state-owned Atyrau oil refinery.
cubic metres per year of nitrogen and 34mn The units will be sold by KMG to Air Liquide
cubic metres of dry compressed air, as well as a Munay Tech Gases (ALMTG), a 75:25 joint ven-
430,000 tpy polyethylene-terephthalate facility. ture between Air Liquide and KMG, for €86mn
The Shymkent complex will turn out ($102mn). They are capable of annually produc-
81,000 tpy of polypropylene and 57,000 tpy of ing up to 200mn cubic metres of hydrogen and
octane-enhancing additives for gasoline, relying 50mn cubic metres of nitrogen, for use in various
on raw materials from the state-owned Shym- production processes at the refinery, including
kent oil refinery for feedstock. In Uralsk, a plant the desulphurisation of fuels. Air Liquide intends
will be erected to produce 82,000 tpy of methanol to modernise them, optimising their energy
and 100,000 tpy of glycol. usage and reducing their CO2 emissions.
Nogaev estimated that the plan would bring ALMTG has been the owner of hydrogen and
in $3.9bn in investment, while helping to diver- nitrogen trains at the Pavlodar oil refinery, also
sify Kazakhstan’s economy, which is mainly managed by KMG, since 2018.
based on oil and other natural resources, by “We are pleased to reinforce the collaboration
converting hydrocarbons into higher-value we have been building with the market leader
products. KMG since our entry into Kazakhstan,” Air Liq-
Austrian petrochemicals group Borealis is uide executive vice-president Francois Jackow
expected to develop the 500,000 tpy polypro- said in a statement. “With this investment – the
pylene plant in Atyrau, under a preliminary most important we have yet announced in the
agreement with Kazakh partners in 2018. The country – to increase energy efficiency and pro-
plant will be fed with ethane from a nearby gas vide reliable supply, we will contribute to the
separation plant that Kazakhstan’s state-owned modernisation and development of the country’s
KazMunayGas (KMG) is developing. industry.” ™

Week 10 10•March•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13