The French company Technip Energies plans to complete modernization and reconstruction of State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) subsidiary Azerikimya Production Union's (APU) ethylene and polyethylene (PE) production plant in Sumgait, north of Baku.
Despite challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Technip Energies in February completed contractual performance testing at the plant showing that all technological modifications introduced as part of the project's execution are functioning correctly.
According to the project leader Stefano La Femina, now handed back over to APU and fully operational, the plant produces on-demand ethylene and propylene meeting all requisite capacity and quality specifications.
SOCAR let a contract to the service provider in November 2016 for delivery of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for the revamp project, the scope of which included modernization of the EP-300 steam cracker, including the construction of cracker furnaces licensed by Technip Energies, as well as installation of a refinery dry gas treatment unit, ethylene and propylene storage, and related utilities and off-sites.
After implementing the project, the volume of ethylene production at the plant will increase from 100,000-105,000 tons to 192,000 tons per year, and propylene production from 50,000-55,000 tons to 187,000 tons.