Amur Gas Chemical Complex more than 71% complete
MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC), which is 60% owned by Russia's SIBUR and 40% by China's Sinopec, entered its peak implementation phase in 2024, the company's press service said.
"Overall progress on the project is 71.4%. The focus has been on completing the construction of priority facilities to test the pyrolysis unit. We have provided AGCC facilities with electricity, water and heat," the company said.
Automated gas distribution station facilities and gas metering units were built in 2024, the site was connected to the Power of Siberia trunk gas pipeline, and two 6.5-km gas pipeline strands were laid. Gas began to be supplied to the AGCC distribution system to produce hot water for technological, heating and other needs. Progress with the construction of a 125 MW gas boiler plant, which will provide energy to water treatment facilities, pyrolysis substations, a demineralized water preparation unit, air separation unit and warehouses, is 97%.
"At the pyrolysis unit, installation of the main structure of the pyrolysis furnaces was completed and the unit is ready to receive heating water and instrumentation air, and collect and remove wastewater. At the polyethylene suspension unit, the installation of all large-sized equipment, as well as the construction of the substation building and the installation of 10 kV transformers, has been completed. The main technical solutions have been developed for the polypropylene unit. By the end of the year, pile driving at the future polypropylene production site was completed and the foundations of the extrusion building were concreted," the press service said.
In addition, the installation of the tower, shafts and the tip of the 180-meter smokeless flare was completed.
Amur GCC was to have been built with European companies like Linde and Technimont participating. Some of the equipment, particularly the pyrolysis unit, was manufactured, though the companies exited the project in 2022. SIBUR and Sinopec decided to revise the project strategy. They redesigned it, changing contractors and licensors for the polyethylene and polypropylene units.
The project involves producing 2.3 million tonnes of polyethylene and 400,000 tonnes of polypropylene. Construction is synchronized with the gradually full ramp-up of Gazprom's Amur Gas Processing Plant, which will feedstock, namely ethane and LPG.
Amur GCC's mechanical completion is now scheduled for 2026, two years later than previously planned, with production expected to begin in 2027.
