RusVinyl inaugurates PVC facility in Kstovo

RusVinyl's polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production facility in Kstovo (NizhnyNovgorod Region), ranking among Russia’s largest petrochemical investment projects, was inaugurated today. Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, attended the grand opening ceremony, along with Alex van Meeuwen, Belgian Ambassador to Russia, Valery Shantsev, Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of SIBUR’s Board of Directors, Alexander Dyukov, Deputy Chairman of SIBUR’s Board of Directors, Jacques van Rijckevorsel, Chairman of the Board of SolVin, Dmitry Konov, CEO of SIBUR, and Guenther Nadolny, CEO of RusVinyl. RusVinyl is a joint venture between SIBUR, Russia's leading gas processing and petrochemical company, and SolVin[i], and was created to construct a new PVC production site that could meet a significant part of domestic demand. RusVinyl is one of the largest PVC producers in Russia with an annual production capacity of 330,000 tpa of PVC and 225,000 tpa of caustic soda. It will benefit from the nearby supply of ethylene, a key raw material for PVC, from SIBUR-Kstovo's steam cracker, expanded to 360,000 tpa especially for the RusVinyl. Salt, the other feedstock for PVC production, will be provided from Belarus and from the Astrakhan Region of Russia. In 2013, PVC consumption in Russia exceeded 1 mt, of which only 0.6 mt was produced locally. RusVinyl will provide its top-quality products to the undersupplied Russian market and is aimed at the further development of downstream operations and consumption of petrochemicals. Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of SIBUR's Board of Directors, said “SIBUR has increased its production capacity of ethylene in Kstovo, which guarantees the supply of the raw material to the new PVC complex. This has ensured the creation of a new, competitive and cutting edge industrial facility. The best global practices and technologies have been introduced to the Russian market due to the realisation of the latest large scale investment project. The new petrochemical facility will beneficially impact Russia’s economic development by meeting the challenge of import substitution.” “SolVin is proud to have successfully completed this project, which is among its biggest industrial achievements ever. SolVin’s experts from across the globe pulled together with SIBUR’s team made this the most modern and most environmental friendly, fully-integrated PVC production plant in the world,” said Jacques van Rijckevorsel, Chairman of the Board of SolVin. This greenfield project, with an investment exceeding RUB 60 bn (€ 1.4 bn)[iii], entirely complies with Russia's strictest environmental regulations. Thanks to cutting-edge vinyl technology, fully automated production and state-of-the-art equipment, the facility's environmental footprint is marginal. Each section of the facility has multi-tier safety systems. An advanced membrane method prevents hazardous substances from being formed during electrolysis. Finally, RusVinyl uses a patented technology that makes electrolysis completely waste-free.