The Polypropylene Plant launched by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Italy Sergio Mattarella

On 18 July 2018, the SOCAR Polymer company celebrated the launch of the Polypropylene plant constructed at the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park. The plant was launched by President Ilham Aliyev at the opening ceremony attended by government officials, and the representatives of diplomatic missions, business circles and partner companies of the SOCAR Polymer Project which was implemented through the financial, intellectual, physical and consultancy inputs from the partners.

President Ilham Aliyev who had supported the SOCAR Polymer Project since its first stage, congratulated the company, its partners and the Azerbaijani people on the launch of the plant which is producing Azerbaijan’s first ever polypropylene, thus, relieving the republic of the necessity to import PP and enriching potential export revenue opportunities.

President Aliyev addressed the guests of the event with an opening speech congratulating all those present on the completion of construction and launch of production.

“Today is a very significant day in our country’s life. Today we have gathered here in Sumgait for the opening ceremony of a new large industrial facility. I wholeheartedly congratulate you and the Azerbaijani people on this remarkable occasion. I well remember that day in 2015 when the foundation of this plant was laid, and then, within a short period of time, a huge industrial facility was erected. I can state that the contemporary history of Azerbaijan hasn’t seen another industrial facility of such scale and capacity. True, large scale construction works have been carried out in our oil and gas industry, with large platforms and drilling rigs erected, but in the non-oil sector this plant is the largest facility equipped with state-of-the-art technologies”, President Aliyev said.

An honored guest to our republic, the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella attended the opening ceremony of the PP plant to celebrate this productive outcome of successful cooperation between Italian and Azerbaijani companies. The Italian President said “Today we can see what high technologies this plant possesses. Of course, we see here that, along with its technical capacity, the plant has both a developed infrastructure and beautiful design. This is a very important project, because this plant strengthens the country's industrial potential in terms of manufacturing high-value-added products. Besides, this project certainly once again demonstrates how powerful the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy is.”

Among the distinguished guests of the ceremony were the Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprombank Mr. Andrey Akimov, the Maire Tecnimont Chairman Mr. Fabrizio Di Amato, the Vice President of Fluor Mr. van Heyningen, the General Manager of Ustay Mr. Murat Ustay, and the representatives of Vitol and three largest holdings of the republic: Pasha, Gilan, and Azersun Holdings.

Approximately $800 mln USD worth SOCAR Polymer Project was financed by 60% through a loan from Gazprombank, and by 40% through investments made by SOCAR, Vitol and three largest holdings of the republic: Pasha, Gilan, and Azersun Holdings.

The engineering, procurement and construction works under the Project have been performed by the Italian Maire Tecnimont company under close supervision of the Integrated Project Management Team (IMPT) led by PMC managers from the FLUOR company (Netherlands).

Among the speakers at the opening ceremony were the SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and the Maire Tecnimont Chairman Fabrizio Di Amato.

The SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said: “I want to make a report to our esteemed President, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who has from the very beginning of the project kept the progress of works in the focus of his attention and constantly supported us with his valuable recommendations. Dear Mr.

President! The tasks given by your excellency have been carried out in a timely and high-quality manner with full compliance to the requirements of safety and environmental standards. Today, I would like to express my special gratitude to our Italian partner Maire Tecnimont which is the project's general contractor, the Turkish Ustay Company, the project's subcontractor, and the Dutch Fluor company for the support they have provided to us in managing this project.”

The Chairman of Maire Tecnimont, Fabrizio Di Amato, said: “SOCAR is one of the most important partners of our company. And SOCAR Polymer is an indispensable partner in the process of long-term cooperation between our companies. We are deeply satisfied with the contribution our company has made, using its capabilities and technologies, to the development of Azerbaijan’s industrial sector. The technologies that have been used in the construction of this plant are the most modern Italian technologies. This plant will play a major role in the development of the Azerbaijan economy and industry. I think this project will be one of the important mechanisms for both the Azerbaijan republic and society as a whole.”

The short video about the SOCAR Polymer company, presented to the guests of the ceremony, briefly described the company, its well-structured team, achievements, internal development policy, and successful performance not only in the petrochemical field, but also through engagement in social, educational and community-serving initiatives for the benefit of the Azerbaijani people.

Following the introductory part of the event, the honored guests proceeded to the solemn launching ceremony. President Ilham Aliyev and the President of Italy launched the plant by pressing the start button.

After the launch ceremony, President Aliyev made a tour of the plant to see the main units and installations. During the tour, the General Manager of SOCAR Polymer Farid Jafarov presented information about the technological process, the design characteristics of the plant, and the plans for the initial production period before full capacity is reached.

This memorable day became a good start for the polypropylene chapter of national industry's history.