DOHA: The world's largest single ethane cracker in Ras Laffan Industrial City is to go on stream in January next year as scheduled, Qapco General Manager, Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla said yesterday.
The 124-km pipeline that will be used to transport ethylene produced by the ethane cracker to Mesaieed is already operational, he told reporters after the stone laying ceremony of Qapco's LDPE-3 project.
The pipeline has been tested to ensure it is ready and the ethylene from Ras Laffan will start flowing through the pipeline in the first week of January, Dr Al Mulla said.
The ethane gas supplied from the Al Khaleej 1 and 2 and Dolphin gas projects will be cracked to feed downstream derivative units, while the resulting ethylene will be pumped to Mesaieed via the pipeline where it will be used by Qatofin-jointly owned by Qapco,
Total Petrochemicals of France and Qatar Petroleum (QP) - will produce polyethylene and normal alpha olefins.
Dr Al Mulla said that throughout its history, Qapco has undergone some significant revamps and expansions, including the expansion of the Ethylene Plant (EP2), which was successfully completed in 2007 and boosted its annual ethylene production capacity from 525,000 metric tons to 720,000 metric tons.
Qapco's total investments in its petrochemical projects so far exceed a whopping $3bn, Dr Al Mulla said.
"We are talking about the amount we invested in our petrochemical projects for a long period of time. Since the inception of Qapco in 1981 we never stopped our expansion," he said.
He added that Qapco is poised to become the biggest producer of LDPE in the region with a total of 700,000 MTA once the LDPE-3 project is completed and a major exporter thanks to its vast marketing network.
Today, the demand for Qapco's polymer remains as robust as ever, which is why Qapco embarked on a third production line which will increase capacity, said Dr Al Mulla.
Qapco's product - Low Density Polyethylene - is an extremely versatile variety of plastic granules, extensively used in hundreds of applications, ranging from agricultural film and food packaging to hi-tech medical equipment and heavy-duty industrial packaging.
By Nasser al Harthy
© The Peninsula 2009
