Doha, Qatar – 9 October 2012 : H.H. The Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated the Qatofin LLDPE Plant in Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC). Present at the ceremony were ministers, ambassadors, CEOs and other high ranking dignitaries, as well as overseas guests including top level management of Total Petrochemicals of France. After the ceremony, HH The Emir was escorted on a live tour around the new plant.
H.E. Abdulla Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Industry and Qatofin Chairman, highlighted, at a press conference held on this occasion, the significance of this petrochemical project, which would further boost Qatar’s petrochemical Industry, and thus contributing to develop the country’s economy as such, that depends basically on oil and gas-related industries, and also to avail suitable opportunities for investment and to develop the country’s infrastructure in all industrial and commercial fields.
Dr. Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla, GM of Qatofin, added that Qatofin project is another value-added milestone in the petrochemical industry in Qatar, which reflects the wise vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, for the optimum utilization of the hydrocarbon resources in the country.
Qatofin, a joint venture between Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) (63%), Total Petrochemicals of France (36%) and Qatar Petroleum (1%), is anticipated to make Qatar a world leader in the polyethylene industry through the construction of a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit to produce 450,000 metric tons per year at facilities adjacent to Qapco’s plant in MIC. The plant was successfully commissioned in August 2009.
Qatofin together with Q-Chem(II) are to construct one of the largest ethane crackers in the world at Ras Laffan Industrial City, with an ethylene capacity of 1.3 million TPA, expandable up to 1.6 million TPA. The cracker is owned by Ras Laffan Olefins Company, a joint venture between Qatofin 45.7%, Q-Chem(II) 53.3% and QP 1%. The produced ethylene will be shipped by a pipeline from RLIC to MIC to feed the new LLDPE plant.
The RLOC ethane cracker will work with the gas produced by Total from the North Field in the context of the Dolphin project. The total project cost of Qatofin is estimated at US$1.2 billion.
The main EPC contractors for the LLDPE facilities are Snamprogetti of Italy and Archirodon of Greece. The EPC contract for the Ras Laffan ethane cracker was awarded to Technip of France.
Qatofin will export the ethylene surplus and LLDPE to world markets. Polyethylene is the raw material for manufacturing in different downstream thermoplastic industries.