One of the largest projects in the world.. Qatar launches the Ras Laffan petrochemical project

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani laying the foundation stone for the Ras Laffan project (The Emiri Diwan)

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, laid the foundation stone for the Ras Laffan Petrochemical Complex Project, in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar this morning.

Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that the project is one of the largest petrochemical projects in the world, which is scheduled to contribute to doubling the production capacity of ethylene and its derivatives, and will also raise Qatar’s total production of petrochemicals to approximately 14 million tons annually.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani laid the foundation stone for one of the largest petrochemical projects in the world (The Amiri Diwan)

Agreements

This comes after the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Managing Director and CEO of Qatar Energy Company, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, and Bruce Chen, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, signed agreements last month that represent the final investment decision to establish the complex at a cost of up to $6 billion.

Under the agreements to establish the complex, which is expected to begin production of olefins and polyethylene in 2026, the two sides established a joint company owned 70% by Qatar Energy and 30% by Chevron Phillips.

The project consists of an ethane cracking unit with a production capacity of 2.1 million tons per year of ethylene, making it the largest unit of its kind in the Middle East, and one of the largest units in the world. It also includes two lines for the production of high-density polyethylene with a production capacity of 1.7 million tons per year, which... It will raise Qatar's total petrochemical production to approximately 14 million tons annually.

Construction partners

Qatar Energy announced the awarding of the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the ethylene plant to SCJV Company, which is a joint venture between the Korean company Samsung Engineering and the Taiwanese company CTCI, and the awarding of the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the polyethylene plant to Mir. Italian Technimont, while the main automation contract was awarded to the American company Emerson.

Al-Kaabi said, at the time, that the project is Qatar Energy’s largest investment in the petrochemical industry in Qatar ever, and the first direct investment in 12 years, and will double Qatar’s ethylene production capacity, and will also raise the local production of polymers from 2.6 million tons to more. Of 4 million tons annually, giving the utmost attention and focus on sustainable growth and the environment.

Source: Qatar News Agency (QNA)