Page 13 - FSUOGM Week 42 2019

FSUOGM PROJECTS & COMPANIES FSUOGM
Sibur produces first PE from its own feedstock at ZapSibNeftekhim
RUSSIA
ZapSibNefteKhim is Russia’s largest polymer production facility.
RUSSIAN petrochemical giant Sibur has brought its new facility at Tobolsk in Siberia, ZapSibNeftekhim, online, producing its first polyethylene from its own feedstock in October.
“In the course of ZapSibNeftekhim commis- sioning and start-up, we reached yet another major milestone – the first ethylene batch pro- duced in-house and used as feedstock for the first polyethylene granules. The commissioning and start-up is well underway to bring the new petrochemical facility on stream. Following polyethylene production by the first polymeri- sation unit, our staff will need to set up the other three units to make this polymer, and fine-tune processes at all stages of the facility’s production chain,” the company said in a press release.
After the ramp-up to its full capacity, the pet- rochemical facility will manufacture 1.5 mt of polyethylene per year. It will be Russia’s largest polymer production facility.
“In spring, ZapSibNeftekhim produced a test batch of polyethylene from imported feedstock, while today the process is running smoothly
using our own feedstock,” the company said. ZapSibNeftekhim accommodates a total of four polymerisation units to produce various grades of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) with an aggregate capacity of 190 tonnes per
hour (process licensed by INEOS, UK). Polyethylene from Tobolsk will be used in pressure pipes, car parts, blow-moulded con- tainers (vials, canisters, barrels, cosmetics jars and yoghurt pots), films for food and industrial
packaging, and cable products.
Igor Klimov, a member of SIBUR’s man-
agement board, CEO of ZapSibNeftekhim and SIBUR Tobolsk said: “The first polyethylene batch from our own feedstock is one of the key stages of launching the entire ZapSibNeft- ekhim petrochemical facility. We hit this mile- stone thanks to the concerted efforts of our staff involved in commissioning and start-up, and those in the facility’s operations unit. Now, we are working to align processes across all production units and tweak the equipment.” ™
Novatek plans well trio at new Arctic field
RUSSIA
As always, Novatek is focusing on building up its reserve base.
NOVATEK plans to sink three exploration wells at its recently acquired Soletsko-Khanaveyskoye field on the Gydan Peninsula, according to a ten- der notice published on its website.
The company won rights to the Solet- sko-Khanaveysky block containing the field in August, paying $39mn in a state contest. In ten- der notices for various work, it said the 470PO, 471R and 472R wells would be drilled in the area to a depth of 3,750 metres. Their aim will be to confirm the presence of hydrocarbons in shallow Valanzhin and deeper Achimov layers.
Soletsko-Khanaveyskoye was found in 1987 and the 6,000-square km block containing it has in-place resources of almost 2.2tn cubic metres of gas and 212mn tonnes of liquids. Announc- ing its win at auction, Novatek said the block and the neighbouring Trekhbugorny and Gydansky areas would underpin its plan to develop another Gydan LNG project after Arctic LNG-2.
Work on the 470PO well is set to start in the first half of 2020, with the drilling of 471R and 472R scheduled for between April and
September 2021, Novatek said. It may also sink an additional well, 140R, at Gydansky in the sec- ond half of next year.
Earlier this month Novatek also revealed in tender documents plans to restore a pair of Soviet-era exploration wells at the Geofizich- esky block on Gydan as well. It intends to use gas recovered from the wells to generate elec- tricity that can be used to power development facilities.
Novatek is Russia’s top LNG producer, through its majority stake in the 16.5mn tonne per year Yamal LNG plant launched in Decem- ber 2017. A final investment decision (FID) on the 19.8mn tpy Arctic LNG-2 is already in place, with first production expected in 2023. It also building a fourth 0.9mn tpy train at Yamal LNG, and intends to greenlight its 4.8mn tpy Obsk LNG plant in early 2020.
More projects are almost certain to be unveiled within the next year or two, as Novatek sets out to ramp up LNG production from its Arctic projects to as high as 70mn tpy by 2030.™
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