Fire caused $25 mln damages at Stavrolen, clean-up to take 3 mths
MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - A recent fire at Lukoil's Stavrolen petrochemicals plant in the Stavropol territory caused $25 million in damage and the clean-up will take three months, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin told reporters.
"This is complex technological equipment. Accidents like this do happen, unfortunately. The accident happened during the commissioning stage," Sechin said.
"New equipment has already been ordered, and we'll helm them to speed things up," Sechin said.
"The damages are around $25 million - not that much," he said.
The first broke out at a key division that produces ethylene and propylene, which are used to make polyethylene and polypropylene, so the whole production chain comes to a halt without this feedstock.
Rostekhnadzor, the state technical standards commission, is currently ascertaining the reasons for the accident on December 15, when a fire engulfed an area of 1,000 square meters. A criminal case has been opened in connection with safety breaches at hazardous production sites.
Experts think the accident could affect the Russian polymer market: Stavrolen has the capacity to produce 120,000 tonnes of polypropylene per year or around 20% of the country's total.
Stavrolen is Russia's second biggest low-pressure polyethylene producer after Kazanorgsintez and third largest polypropylene producer after Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Tomskneftekhim.