Plus 100k tons of EVA polymers: Kazanorgsintez and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. sign an agreement

Kazanorgsintez PJSC has identified Italian Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. as the contractor for the project of the new production of ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers

A package of contracts was signed in Milan between Kazanorgsintez PJSC (part of TAIF Group) and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. Group (Italy). According to the main contract, Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. under the terms of the EP contract (engineering and equipment purchase) undertakes to build and put into operation the new production of EVA polymers with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year in Kazan in 40 months. Read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.

100k tons a year for 130m euros

On August 5, a package of contracts for the implementation of the project for the construction of the new production of ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers for Kazanorgsintez PJSC (part of TAIF Group) was signed in Milan (Italy). This is reported on the official website of Kazanorgsintez PJSC.

Italian Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. Group has been identified as the contractor for the construction of the new production of savylene (ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers, or EVA polymers). Farid Minigulov, the director general of Kazanorgsintez PJSC, and Pierroberto Folgero, the director general of Maire Tecnimont Group, signed the documents where the main contract is on the terms of EP: engineering and purchase of equipment on the principle of “open book”.

The total preliminary cost of the contract is 130 million euros. The implementation period is 40 months. The project of the new LDPE/EVA production is based on the technology developed by the Japanese company, Sumitomo Chemical. The license agreement was signed earlier, in February 2021. The works will be performed by the subsidiaries of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. — Tecnimont Planung & Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (Germany) and MT Russia PLC (the company's Moscow work centre).

History of cooperation

TAIF Group and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. have a long-standing business relationship. The first acquaintance of the Italian company Tecnimont with the Tatarstan petrochemical industry took place back in 1970, when it took part in the construction of production facilities in Nizhnekamsk.

In 2002, Tecnimont specialists carried out a feasibility study of a plant for the production of propylene for 120,000 tonnes of products a year, in 2004 — a feasibility study for the production of linear low-density polyethylene with an estimated capacity of 230,000 tonnes a year.

In 2006, the Italian company took over the engineering, supply of equipment and supervision of the polypropylene plant for 180,000 tonnes a year, in 2008 — the same list of works for the production of linear low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene for 230,000 tonnes a year.

In 2009, Tecnimont built the ABS plastic plant on a turnkey basis. In April 2021, Kazanorgsintez PJSC and Maire Tecnimont signed the memorandum of understanding on the project of joint development of the new plant for the production of biodegradable polymers in the Republic of Tatarstan.

The only manufacturer in Russia

Polyethylene-vinyl acetate, produced by Kazanorgsintez PJSC under the brand name “Savilen”, is similar to polyethylene, but it is more transparent, elastic, durable and resistant to external influences. The product is extremely in demand by the market and has a wide range of applications — in agriculture, for example, in the production of greenhouses, in the production of consumer goods, in the shoe industry — for example, in the production of boots with high shock-absorbing characteristics, in automotive industry, pads are made with its addition. There is also savilen in the soft floors of gyms, modular floor coverings of swimming pools and stretch mats.

EVA polymer is completely safe, because it is actively used in the production of goods for children, and in medicine, it is necessary for the production of prostheses, dental protectors, as well as orthopedic shoes.

The first batch of savilen at Kazanorgsintez PJSC was produced back in 1980. Today, the company is the only manufacturer of this product in the country. It produces about 20 different brands for various applications, including low-molecular weight, which is in demand by the rubber industry.

The capacity of the existing unit does not allow producing more than 13,000 tonnes a year. This is only 20% of the volume that the country needs. The rest has to be purchased abroad.

Production volumes will grow by 7,5 times

The expansion of capacities with the replacement of the outdated unit with the new, more efficient, environmentally friendly and powerful equipment is part of the strategic development programme of Kazanorgsintez PJSC and TAIF Group as a whole. The new production is going to replace the existing unit. This will increase the production of savilen by 7,5 times, that is, the capacity of the unit will be 100,000 tonnes a year.

The technology proposed by the Japanese company Sumitomo Chemical is universal and allows producing both polyethylene-vinyl acetate and LDPE on the same equipment. Successfully tested in Japan and Singapore, the technology has proven its effectiveness. The unit, based on the use of reactor unit of special design based on an autoclave reactor, will give the opportunity, with the quality of products meeting the highest international requirements, to ensure the most efficient consumption of raw materials and energy resources, to reduce the cost of processes, as well as to minimise the impact on the environment.

It is expected that after the new production is put into operation, the volume of products will be sufficient not only to provide the domestic market in full, but also to form a competitive offer on foreign trading platforms. This will strengthen Russia's position in the petrochemical sector of the world economy and fully meets the goals and objectives that President Vladimir Putin set for the domestic fuel and energy sector at the meeting in Tobolsk in December 2020.

Arseny Favstritsky
Reference

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. is registered on the Milan Stock Exchange, heads the industrial group that leads the world market in the processing of natural resources (design of oil and gas units, possession of technologies, experience and knowledge). Maire Tecnimont Group operates in approximately 45 countries, through approximately 50 operating companies. The number of employees is about 9,000 people.

Kazanorgsintez PJSC is one of the largest producers of polyethylene and the only manufacturer of polycarbonate in Russia (part of TAIF Group). The only Russian member of the International Association PE100+. All products manufactured by Kazanorgsintez PJSC are certified in the system of the State Standard of the Russian Federation. The company is the largest exporter of polyethylene among the manufacturers of Russia. Kazanorgsintez PJSC supplies products to 36 countries of the world.

Tatarstan