DOHA: The Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday formally inaugurated the Ras Laffan Olefins Company's (RLOC) plant, one of the world's largest ethane cracking plants, in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
As Qatar continues its quest to build upon its successes and further consolidate its position as the hydrocarbons hub of the region, RLOC will play an important role in integrating the nation's petrochemicals industry.
The RLOC plant will produce 1.3 million tons per annum (mtpa) of ethylene that will be shipped from Ras Laffan to Mesaieed via a purpose-built 133km pipeline. In a future second phase, the capacity of the plant will be increased to 1.6 mtpa, making it the largest facility of its kind.
Al Attiyah termed the project an advanced step to ensure optimisation and utilisation of the country's abundant resources. "Natural gas mined in the fields of Qatar is a steady source of ethane gas. However, the raw ethane is not directly usable in many downstream processes such as the production of plastic polymers," he said.
"The Ras Laffan Olefins Company is a critical step in consolidating Qatar's position as one of the leading suppliers of polyethylenes in the world. It will also establish new synergies within the industry by exploiting inherent economies of scale for maximum advantage."
The RLOC plant successfully started production in the Ras Laffan Industrial City in March this year. Its main function is to 'crack' or convert the ethane into ethylene and to supply it to the downstream units in Mesaieed for further processing.
RLOC is jointly owned by Q-Chem II and Qatofin, both of which are large-scale manufacturers and exporters of polyethylene. Q-Chem II (a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company) produces a type of plastic polymer called High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Qatofin (a joint venture between QAPCO, Total Petrochemicals and Qatar Petroleum), specialises in the production of another polymer called Linear Low Density Polyethylene.
Both varieties of plastic depend on a steady supply of ethylene during the manufacturing process.
Qatofin will utilise Ras Laffan's ethylene supply to produce 450,000 tons of high-quality Linear Low Density Polyethylene.
The RLOC cracker itself will be managed and operated by Q-Chem II under contract from RLOC. Q-Chem II will also begin production of a full line of Normal Alpha Olefins products for the first time in the region. These products are used to produce plastics, lubricants, detergents, drilling fluids and a number of specialty products.
"The startup of the RLOC plant marks an important milestone for Q-Chem's strategic goal to boost its production capacity. With an increase of 350,000 mtpa of HDPE and 350,000 mtpa of Normal Alpha Olefins from Q-Chem II, our position as a leading player in the high-quality polyethylene market will be further strengthened," said Ahmed Al Emadi, General Manager of Q-Chem.
By Nasser Al Harthy
© The Peninsula 2010
