NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — France’s Air Liquide on October 16 said it had signed a new long term agreement with Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries (KPI) in accordance with which Air Liquide Munay Tech Gases will build, own and operate a new nitrogen unit in the growing chemical basin of Karabatan, close to the Atyrau refinery in Kazakhstan.
Air Liquide Munay Tech Gases is a company jointly owned by Air Liquide (75%) and KazMunayGaz, Kazakhstan’s national oil & gas company (25%).
Air Liquide Munay Tech Gases will invest 15 million euros in a new unit to supply up to 8,000 Nm3/h nitrogen to the new 500,000 ton per year polypropylene plant under construction by KPI in the first Integrated Gas-Chemical Complex Construction Project in the Atyrau region, aiming at becoming a world-class petrochemical basin.
This new project, planned to be operational by the second quarter of 2021, marks the second milestone in the development of Air Liquide in Kazakhstan, the French company said.
Air Liquide Munay Tech Gases has been successfully supplying for over one year hydrogen to the Pavlodar Oil and Chemistry Refinery, an affiliate of KazMunayGaz.
“We are delighted to participate in this project and to be part of what is an important development for this new promising chemical basin. Air Liquide will bring its technological know-how and expertise to contribute to the modernization of the industry in the country. This important milestone also illustrates the strengthening of our joint-venture with KazMunayGaz and the continuing growth of our activities in Kazakhstan,” said François Jackow, Air Liquide’s Executive Vice-President and a member of the Executive Committee supervising industrial activities in Europe.
