CHINAPLAS '12: Iran’s Kavian C2 project to go onstream by July

20 April 2012 14:09  [Source: ICIS news]

SHANGHAI (ICIS)--Iran-based Kavian Petrochemical is expected to complete the first phase of its 2m tonne/year Olefins No 11 project in Assaluyeh by July 2012, a senior industry official said on Friday.

"The first ethylene train of 1m tonnes/year is set to start up in Assaluyeh in the next three months," said Ramezan Oladi, director of planning and development with Iran's National Petrochemical Co (NPC), at the sidelines of Chinaplas, a four-day exhibition in Shanghai that ends on Saturday.

The second train, with the same capacity, is expected to start up by end-2013, he added. The ethane-based project will yield 180,000 tonnes/year of propylene when completed.

The basic engineering contract for the project was awarded to France-based Technip.

Kavian officials were not available for comment.

Iran's Bakhtar Petrochemical owns 56.5% stake in Kavian, with the remaining shares held by a cluster of private Iranian investors, including Lorestan Petrochemical, Kermanshah Polymer Co, Kordestan Petrochemical and Mahabad Petrochemical.

Another Iranian industry source said most of the ethylene would be used to feed the many downstream projects scheduled to start up in the next two years, as it would be difficult to export it because of the tightening sanctions against Iran.

Lorestan, Kordestan and Mahabad, are all expected to start up polyethylene (PE) facilities by 2014, said Oladi.

These facilities were earlier expected to start up in 2012. However, they have been delayed by two years on account of sanctions, said the industry source.

By: Prema Viswanathan
+65 6780 4359

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