QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC have announced that they will proceed with the construction of a US$6 billion integrated polymers complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.
An agreement marking the positive final investment decision (FID) for the project was signed by His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and by Bruce Chinn, President and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical, at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar. The companies created a joint venture (JV), Ras Laffan Petrochemicals, in which QatarEnergy owns a 70% equity share and Chevron Phillips Chemical owns 30%.
The 435 acre project site will include an ethane cracker with a capacity of 2 080 000 tpy of ethylene, making it the largest ethane cracker in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world. It will also include two high-density polyethylene derivative units with a total capacity of 1 680 000 tpy.
Chevron Phillips Chemical will provide project management services. Construction began with early works at the site in June 2022, and start-up is expected in late 2026. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the ethane cracker will be executed by a JV between Samsung Engineering CO., Ltd. and CTCI Corp. Tecnimont S.p.A. will execute EPC for the polyethylene units.
The polyethylene units will use Chevron Phillips Chemical’s MarTechTM loop slurry process to produce high-density polyethylene, which will primarily be exported from the state of Qatar. Polyethylene is used in the production of durable goods such as pipe for natural gas and water delivery and recreational products such as kayaks and coolers. It is also used in packaging applications to protect and preserve food and keep medical supplies sterile.
The facility will be constructed with modern, energy-saving technology and use ethane for feedstock, which along with other measures, is expected to result in lower greenhouse gas emissions than similar global facilities.
“At Chevron Phillips Chemical, we continue to grow our global asset base where there is access to reliable, affordable feedstock. This investment will help meet global demand for polyethylene products,” Chinn said. “We are excited to expand on the long and successful history we have with QatarEnergy to safely construct and operate world-scale facilities.”
Attending the signing ceremony were senior executives from QatarEnergy, Chevron Phillips Chemical and its owner companies, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Phillips 66.
Chevron Phillips Chemical and QatarEnergy operate JVs in Qatar and recently-announced construction of a similar integrated polymers facility in Orange, Texas, US.