Russia’s NKNKh to build new ethylene, polymer units in 2016, 2017

MOSCOW (ICIS)–Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNKh) has pledged to build new ethylene and polymer facilities in 2016-2017, the Russian petrochemical producer said on Tuesday.

A new 1m tonnes/year ethylene production unit is expected to start operation in 2016, while NKNKh aims to finish construction of a new 600,000 tonne/year polyethylene (PE) plant and 400,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant in 2017, it said.

The ethylene, PE and PP production units are expected to cost about $3bn (€2.4bn) to build, NKNKh CEO Vladimir Busygin said.

Based in Tatarstan, central Russia, NKNKh is the country’s major petrochemical manufacturer. It produces more than half of Russia’s total styrene and butyl rubber output, and nearly half of the country’s isoprene rubber and polystyrene (PS) output.

($1 = €0.79)