QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical break ground on US$6bn Ras Laffan petrochemical complex

OWNERS QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) have started construction on a US$6bn petrochemical complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. Set to be one of the largest petrochemical production facilities in the world, it will increase the country’s capacity to 14m t/y by the end of 2026.

Announced in 2019, the complex will include an ethane cracker able to produce around 2.1m t/y of ethylene. It will be the largest ethane cracker in the Middle East and increase Qatar’s ethylene production capacity by more than 40%.

Two polyethylene trains, with combined annual output of almost 1.7m t/y of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), will increase national capacity by around 50%.

The facility is designed to use energy saving technologies which, along with other measures, are expected to lower greenhouse gas emissions intensity compared to similar global facilities.

Site preparation began in 2022, and startup is expected in late 2026.

The project is being developed by a joint venture company of which 30% is owned by CPChem and 70% by QatarEnergy (formerly Qatar Petroleum). CPChem is providing project management services to oversee engineering, procurement, and construction of the facility.

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, CEO of QatarEnergy and Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs, said: “There is no doubt that this is an important landmark in QatarEnergy’s downstream expansion strategy as it will reinforce our integrated position as a global energy player and generate significant economic benefits for the country.”

CPChem and QatarEnergy are also building a similar integrated polymers facility in Texas, US through their Golden Triangle Polymers joint venture. The companies reached a final investment decision for the facility in 2022.