Expansions: Reliance to set up PVC, PTA and polyester plants in India; Lummus ethylene tech selected for Kazakhstan’s first PE plant

India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is planning to set up polyvinylchloride (PVC) and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) manufacturing facilities at its existing locations in Dahej and Nagothane with a total capacity of 1.5 million tonnes/year. These integrated facilities are expected to commence commercial production in 2026-27. It is also expanding its polyester capacity by 1 million tonnes/year and PTA capacity by 3 million tonnes/year, also to be built by 2026–27.

RIL is the largest producer of petrochemicals in India and is amongst the top ten globally. It is also one of the world’s largest producers of polymers, with a current capacity of approximately 5.8 million tonnes/year. It operates world-scale plants for PP, PE and PVC.

The company’s current PVC production capacity stands at 750,000 tonnes/year, which accounts for half of India’s overall capacity. The country’s demand for PVC and CPVC is growing rapidly due to the government's focus on infrastructure development and rising aspirations of people towards modern lifestyles. India’s total PVC demand is currently estimated at 3.7 million tonnes/year.

RIL is also adding a million tonnes of specialty polyester capacity by the year 2026-27, which will be further integrated backwards with a 3 million tonne PTA capacity by 2027.

It is also building India's first world-class integrated carbon fibre plant at Hazira, which will rank among the top three units globally. Plus, it is adding three more very large ethane carriers (VLECs) to its existing fleet of six ethane carriers used for sourcing ethane from North America.

Furthermore, with the industry’s focus on sustainability, RIL says it is accelerating the use of renewable energy and is well on its way to becoming one of the largest users of renewable energy in India. Additionally, the company is making significant progress on various sustainability initiatives, including PET recycling, chemical recycling of plastics to produce pyrolysis oil, polyolefin recycling, conversion of hazardous waste into alternative fuels and raw materials and the development of zero-waste stores.

“Reliance already recycles over 2 billion PET bottles in India and is on track to reach a capacity of 5 billion bottles/year by next year. In summary, I would like to reiterate that our Oil to Chemicals business continues to be a robust growth engine, steadily enhancing its financial performance for a long time to come. We are actively investing in new capacities and capabilities to meet the demand growth in India,” said Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

In other news, technology provider Lummus Technology has announced a contract award from Silleno LLP for an ethylene unit, which will be part of the first polyethylene plant to be built in Kazakhstan.

Lummus’ ethylene technology will be critical in producing PE, a process that will consist of two stages: 1) converting ethane to ethylene and 2) producing PE directly from ethylene.

Lummus’ scope includes the technology license, basic engineering and training for the new plant, which will convert ethane from the Tengiz oil field into 1.3 million tonnes/year of ethylene. The ethylene unit will also leverage Lummus’ Short Residence Time (SRT) heaters and incorporate Lummus’ olefins recovery system. These heaters will optimize product yield and the recovery system reduces equipment by up to 25% compared to conventional systems, which will increase energy efficiency, lower capital costs and decrease CO2 emissions.

Strategically located at the National Industrial Petrochemical Technopark in the Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Region, the plant will play a pivotal role in Kazakhstan’s economy by increasing gross domestic product, creating jobs during the construction and operations phases, and generating other indirect business opportunities for the local economy.

“It is an honour to collaborate with Silleno and be part of such an important petrochemical project that is a major investment and growth driver for the Republic of Kazakhstan,” said Leon de Bruyn, President/CEO, Lummus Technology. “We have executed several projects recently in Kazakhstan, so this builds on our experience and growth in the country. It also gives us the unique opportunity to provide our leading technology to help advance Kazakhstan’s energy and petrochemicals industry.”

Lummus, a supplier of light olefins technologies, has secured nearly 50% of new project awards since 2000 and licensed more than 200 ethylene plants around the world, accounting for approximately 45% of global ethylene capacity.

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