SOCAR’s Azerikimya Production Union eyes to increase output next year

By  Trend

Azerikimya Production Union, a part of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, plans to increase production by 35-40 percent next year, SOCAR told Trend.

The company said that over 337,000 tons of such products as polyethylene, ethylene, propylene, liquid and heavy pyrolysis resin, butane-butylene fraction and absolute isopropyl alcohol were produced in 2018.

The company added that in 2018, products of the Azerikimya were exported to such countries as Turkey, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, China, Poland, the Czech Republic, Vietnam, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Lithuania.

"Speaking about the possibilities of expanding the geography of supplies in 2019, we must take into account the fact that since September 2018, propylene is no longer exported, but transferred to SOCAR Polymer for the production of polypropylene," SOCAR said.

In addition, a part of ethylene, starting from January 2019, will also be sent to SOCAR Polymer as a raw material for the production of low-density polyethylene, the company noted.

"Thus, in 2019, a significant decrease is expected in export volumes of products directly by Azerikimya, because some of the products will serve as raw materials for the new plants of SOCAR Polymer, and they, in turn, will export more valuable products of advanced processing cycle, such as polypropylene and low pressure polyethylene (of high density)," SOCAR said.

SOCAR is the sole producer of petroleum products in Azerbaijan owning over 370 filling stations in Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland. It is also a co-owner of the largest Turkish petrochemical complex Petkim.