Nizhnekamskneftekhim receives first tonnes of ethylene at new EP-600 plant

KAZAN. Jan 21 (Interfax) - PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNKH), part of SIBUR petrochemical holding, has received the first tonnes of the monomer as part of commissioning work at the new EP-600 ethylene plant, and plans to bring it to design capacity by the end of 2025, the company's press service said.

"Ethylene is the complex's main product. It meets all the necessary requirements and has already been sent to consumers at the Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez plants to produce products at subsequent stages. Producing commercial ethylene is a key stage of commissioning work for EP-600," the press service said.

NKNKH reportedly previously completed constructing a new ethylene unit EP-600 in December 2024 in addition to the existing ethylene production with capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year, with commissioning scheduled for 2025.

The new unit is the basis of the new olefin (ethylene) complex of the enterprise. It will be able to process 1.8 million tonnes of straight-run gasoline per year to obtain 600,000 tonnes of ethylene and target products, namely propylene at over 270,000 tonnes, benzene at 245,000 tonnes, and butadiene at 88,000 tonnes. In conjunction with EP-600, NKNKH creates capacities to produce premium metallocene polyethylene at 300,000 tonnes per year, polystyrene units at capacity of 250,000 tonnes, ethylbenzene at 350,000 tonnes, styrene at 400,000 tonnes, and hexene at 50,000 tonnes.

The press service's data indicate that investments in the EP-600 project have totaled around 200 billion rubles. The overall cost of the oil and gas chemistry development projects implemented by SIBUR in Tatarstan exceeds 500 billion rubles. The company's investment portfolio includes projects totaling over 1.7 trillion rubles with a commissioning horizon of 2027-2028.