Two days non-stop: Tatarstan petrochemists go to Tobolsk

To learn from each other

As soon as the TAIF delegation arrived in the hospitable Tobolsk land it headed to get acquainted with the production capacities of SIBUR’s Siberian division. But before going to the industrial site they did a quick COVID-19 test and put the special gear on. Employees’ safety is a priority. This requirement is inflexible and indisputable in any division of the holding — from Moscow to Siberia and Tatarstan.

The busy trip programme started with a propane dehydrogenation unit (PHD). The capacities put into operation in 2013 process propane into propylene that is used at ZapSib’s polymer plants into polypropylene. Construction and assembly works recently began in the plant within a modernisation and capacity expansion programme. With the development of ZapSib, the PHD stopped coping with the needs of polymer units for feedstock. 80,000 tonnes a year have to be delivered from other enterprises. After the project ends, the efficacy of the unit will rise by 8,4%, to 561,000 tonnes a year, which will cut the needs for imported feedstock twice (up to 40,000 tonnes).

The work with propane feedstock is of special interest for Kazanorgsintez, which implemented a joint ethane and propane pyrolysis project with its capacities.

Also, the TAIF delegation visited the sanctuary of any production — operator’s rooms. At ZapSib, they are common for related plants, which allows exchanging information faster and feeling teamwork better.

Information exchange is one of the key goals of the visit. The representatives of the Siberian and Tatarstan branches of SIBUR discussed plans and prospects for 2022 and common engineering and management tasks — further increase of production efficacy and launch of new technologies and environmental projects. Challenges are the same for the sector, while the ways they are addressed can differ. Therefore it is important to know what and how the colleagues who became a part of one company do, what successes they achieved and what difficulties they faced. ZapSib specialists shared groundwork in the introduction of digital instruments — online productivity boards — and talked about the technology of mobile patrols that help to perform tasks better and safer.

The activity of the training centre SIBURINTEKH also interested TAIF very much. Joint work with related universities doesn’t rule out the necessity of independent training and retraining of top specialists. Also, it is another area where SIBUR and TAIF’s experience and groundwork can effectively complement each other.

In general the united company makes large-scale plans for further development. SIBUR published the fact of the signing of agreements on the modernisation of operating and creation of new capacities at Tatarstan’s Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Tobolsk’s ZapSibNeftekhim with the Russian Ministry of Energy on 28 January accidentally when the management of KOS and NKNK were in Tobolsk. The holding is considering about 20 projects, the most promising ones will be given at least 400 billion rubles of investments until 2027.

“To remain a social partner in regions of presence developing petrochemistry”

Tobolsk is one of the good examples of how a large business develops itself, helps positive changes in the region of its presence too.

“Our big mission is to help Russian petrochemistry and at the same time remain a social partner for the regions in work in. Social partnership must be as much eco-friendly as possible, develop our people, create safe and comfortable working conditions for them, help those municipalities, those regions we work in to develop,” stressed Board Chairman of SIBUR Holding PJSC Dmitry Konov who arrived in Tobolsk.

The development of Tobolsk has been closely synchronised with the development of petrochemical plants located here since the 70s. During ZapSibNeftekhim’s development, SIBUR took the baton, and an integrated infrastructure development programme of the city Tobolsk 2020 was launched in 2017 together with the administration of the city and government of Tyumen Oblast.

Priority areas were chosen together with Tobolsk citizens. The programme includes the construction, reconstruction and major overhaul of more than 40 educational institutions, health care, culture, sport and urban environment.

Tobolsk 2020 became the first attempt of integrated development of the city in the post-Soviet era. And this attempt can be declared successful: in 2020, Tobolsk was in the top 5 of the Russian Construction Ministry’s rating in quality of life in Medium Cities becoming the only city outside Moscow Oblast finishing in the top 5.

On 28 January, the government of Tyumen Oblast, the administration of the city and SIBUR signed a new trilateral agreement On Cooperation to Implement the Integrated Urban Environmental Development Programme in the Historical Capital of Siberia through 2030. The document was signed by Governor of the region Alexander Moor, Board Chairman of SIBUR Holding PJSC Dmitry Konov and mayor of the city Maxim Afanasyev in the presence of Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Russian president to the Ural Federal District Vladimir Yakushev.

As the document notes: “Improvement and gardening of the city, development of public spaces, restoration of historical heritage sites and creation of conditions to raise tourist attractiveness will be key focuses.” The programme will be co-financed by the budget of Tyumen Oblast and the city itself and by SIBUR, which is one of the main taxpayers of the region. Like in the case of Tobolsk 2020, locals will be invited to the creation of the programme. A series of public debates will take place this spring where the list of priority projects and sites to be added to the programme will be chosen. A list considering the citizens’ opinions will be made and presented by the end of the summer.