New polypropylene production with a capacity of about 570 thousand tons per year has moved to commissioning of the main equipment. The project is already 92% complete, and after reaching operating mode, SIBUR's enterprise will be able to produce 15 grades of polypropylene that were not previously produced in Russia.
Currently, catalysts and adsorbents are being loaded at the facility, dynamic equipment is being tested, and a trial run of steam turbines is being prepared. The polymerization unit has already undergone chemical cleaning, and powder has been loaded into the extrusion equipment for running-in.
Full comprehensive testing and start-up operations are expected in the first quarter of 2027. After that, according to Mikhail Karisalov, head of SIBUR, it will take another four to six months for the equipment to reach operating modes and for the full range of products to be mastered.
New capacity will yield about 570 thousand tons of polypropylene annually
The material will be used for the production of packaging, medical products, automotive parts, construction products, and everyday goods.
At the same time, the project is being built not just as another line with an already familiar technology. A different polypropylene production technology is used here, thanks to which the company expects to significantly expand its product range. The head of SIBUR spoke about the possibility of producing several dozen grades, including new ones.
Most of the production will be automated
Inside the warehouse, finished products will be moved without human involvement, and the system will scan pallets, build routes, and optimize placement. The first packaging line is already undergoing testing.
Separately, the company tested the future technology on a pilot plant. There, the launch of production and the transition between different grades of polypropylene were simulated without using existing industrial equipment. Several grades of products of the required quality have already been obtained at this plant.
This refers to the DGP-2 complex at the ZapSibNeftekhim site in Tobolsk. Its construction began in August 2023, and initially the project cost was estimated at approximately 195 billion rubles. After launch, the total volume of polymer product output at the site should reach 3.3 million tons per year.