SUMGAYIT, Azerbaijan, September 16. Physical
installation and construction-repair work under the instrumentation
and automation project at SOCAR's Azerkimya Production Union are
scheduled to begin next year, General Director of SOCAR's Azerkimya
Production Union, Elnur Mammadli, said during a media tour of
SOCAR's Ethylene-Polyethylene Plant, held as part of the "September
20 – Oil Workers Day", Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He noted that the engineering—or design—phase of the project is
currently 98% complete.
"Physical installation and construction-repair work at the site
will commence next year. Once the project is fully completed, the
plant's control systems will be fully automated, and the safety and
reliability of operations will be further enhanced," Mammadli
explained.
The general director noted that the Azerkimya Production Union
serves as a crucial link between the Oil Refinery and SOCAR
Polymer.
According to him, Azerkimya processes light fractions received
from the Oil Refinery and supplies ethylene and propylene feedstock
to SOCAR Polymer.
Mammadli also stated that the interval for major
overhauls—previously carried out annually—has been extended to once
every two years thanks to technical upgrades. This has made it
possible to significantly reduce the financial costs associated
with maintenance work.
He pointed out that the plant currently employs 1,900
people.
According to the data, SOCAR’s Ethylene-Polyethylene Plant
produces 187,000 tons of propylene, 190,000 tons of ethylene, and
120,000 tons of polyethylene annually.
The plant's Polymir-120 unit, designed for high-pressure
polyethylene production, has an annual capacity of 120,000 tons; it
produces low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
The facility's energy complex generates both steam and
electricity, with a production capacity of 480 tons of steam and 68
MW of electricity per hour.
