Kazakhstan's state energy firm Kazmunaigas will start building a $5.2 billion petrochemical plant near the giant Kashagan oil field in December, a Kazakh energy ministry official said yesterday.
"We in Kazakhstan have large amounts of gas with ethane presence of between 13 to 16 per cent. So it makes perfect sense to build a petrochemical complex," said Raushan Sarmurzina, head of the ministry's technology development department.
The plant would annually produce 1.2 million tonnes of ethylene, poly-ethylene and polypropylene and would process gas from the giant Tengiz oil field, led by US Chevron, in its first stage.
It would later also process gas from the huge offshore Kashagan field, led by Italy's Eni.
Netherlands-based Basell Holdings, a big polypropylene producer, is named as a strategic partner in energy ministry documents.
"We in Kazakhstan have large amounts of gas with ethane presence of between 13 to 16 per cent. So it makes perfect sense to build a petrochemical complex," said Raushan Sarmurzina, head of the ministry's technology development department.
The plant would annually produce 1.2 million tonnes of ethylene, poly-ethylene and polypropylene and would process gas from the giant Tengiz oil field, led by US Chevron, in its first stage.
It would later also process gas from the huge offshore Kashagan field, led by Italy's Eni.
Netherlands-based Basell Holdings, a big polypropylene producer, is named as a strategic partner in energy ministry documents.