QAPCO to increase LDPE production with new plant at Mesaieed

07-Nov-07

Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) has recently commissioned and started up production at its ethylene expansion project (EP2). With this, the company has boosted annual ethylene output by 200,000 tons to 720,000 tpa. The next step that follows this notable boost in ethylene capacity seems to be increasing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) production capacity for which Qapco plans to set up a plant at Mesaieed. Basic engineering work has been completed for the proposed plant, with signing of the contract in September or October 2008. The Qatofin project for production of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) will have a nameplate capacity of 450,000 tpa and will be constructed at Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC), adjacent to Qapco facilities. The project has been slated for completion in December 2008 or early 2009. The ethane cracker to be constructed in Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLC) will have a capacity of 1.3 mln tpa. A joint venture between Q-Chem and Qatofin (a Qapco-Total-QP venture), it will supply some ethylene to Qapco through a 120km long pipeline from Ras Laffan to Mesaieed. The plant will be among the largest ethane cracker plants in the world.