Plus 100k tons of EVA polymers: Kazanorgsintez and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. sign an agreement

100k tons a year for 130m euros

On August 5, a package of contracts for the implementation of the project for the construction of the new production of ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers for Kazanorgsintez PJSC (part of TAIF Group) was signed in Milan (Italy). This is reported on the official website of Kazanorgsintez PJSC.

Italian Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. Group has been identified as the contractor for the construction of the new production of savylene (ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers, or EVA polymers). Farid Minigulov, the director general of Kazanorgsintez PJSC, and Pierroberto Folgero, the director general of Maire Tecnimont Group, signed the documents where the main contract is on the terms of EP: engineering and purchase of equipment on the principle of “open book”.

The total preliminary cost of the contract is 130 million euros. The implementation period is 40 months. The project of the new LDPE/EVA production is based on the technology developed by the Japanese company, Sumitomo Chemical. The license agreement was signed earlier, in February 2021. The works will be performed by the subsidiaries of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. — Tecnimont Planung & Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (Germany) and MT Russia PLC (the company's Moscow work centre).

History of cooperation

TAIF Group and Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. have a long-standing business relationship. The first acquaintance of the Italian company Tecnimont with the Tatarstan petrochemical industry took place back in 1970, when it took part in the construction of production facilities in Nizhnekamsk.

In 2002, Tecnimont specialists carried out a feasibility study of a plant for the production of propylene for 120,000 tonnes of products a year, in 2004 — a feasibility study for the production of linear low-density polyethylene with an estimated capacity of 230,000 tonnes a year.

In 2006, the Italian company took over the engineering, supply of equipment and supervision of the polypropylene plant for 180,000 tonnes a year, in 2008 — the same list of works for the production of linear low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene for 230,000 tonnes a year.

In 2009, Tecnimont built the ABS plastic plant on a turnkey basis. In April 2021, Kazanorgsintez PJSC and Maire Tecnimont signed the memorandum of understanding on the project of joint development of the new plant for the production of biodegradable polymers in the Republic of Tatarstan.

The only manufacturer in Russia

Polyethylene-vinyl acetate, produced by Kazanorgsintez PJSC under the brand name “Savilen”, is similar to polyethylene, but it is more transparent, elastic, durable and resistant to external influences. The product is extremely in demand by the market and has a wide range of applications — in agriculture, for example, in the production of greenhouses, in the production of consumer goods, in the shoe industry — for example, in the production of boots with high shock-absorbing characteristics, in automotive industry, pads are made with its addition. There is also savilen in the soft floors of gyms, modular floor coverings of swimming pools and stretch mats.

EVA polymer is completely safe, because it is actively used in the production of goods for children, and in medicine, it is necessary for the production of prostheses, dental protectors, as well as orthopedic shoes.

The first batch of savilen at Kazanorgsintez PJSC was produced back in 1980. Today, the company is the only manufacturer of this product in the country. It produces about 20 different brands for various applications, including low-molecular weight, which is in demand by the rubber industry.

The capacity of the existing unit does not allow producing more than 13,000 tonnes a year. This is only 20% of the volume that the country needs. The rest has to be purchased abroad.

Production volumes will grow by 7,5 times

The expansion of capacities with the replacement of the outdated unit with the new, more efficient, environmentally friendly and powerful equipment is part of the strategic development programme of Kazanorgsintez PJSC and TAIF Group as a whole. The new production is going to replace the existing unit. This will increase the production of savilen by 7,5 times, that is, the capacity of the unit will be 100,000 tonnes a year.

The technology proposed by the Japanese company Sumitomo Chemical is universal and allows producing both polyethylene-vinyl acetate and LDPE on the same equipment. Successfully tested in Japan and Singapore, the technology has proven its effectiveness. The unit, based on the use of reactor unit of special design based on an autoclave reactor, will give the opportunity, with the quality of products meeting the highest international requirements, to ensure the most efficient consumption of raw materials and energy resources, to reduce the cost of processes, as well as to minimise the impact on the environment.

It is expected that after the new production is put into operation, the volume of products will be sufficient not only to provide the domestic market in full, but also to form a competitive offer on foreign trading platforms. This will strengthen Russia's position in the petrochemical sector of the world economy and fully meets the goals and objectives that President Vladimir Putin set for the domestic fuel and energy sector at the meeting in Tobolsk in December 2020.