BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 10. The first eight sections of loop reactors, key equipment for the polymerization unit, have been delivered to the construction site of the Silleno polyethylene plant in Kazakhstan's Atyrau Region, the country’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas reported.
According to the report, each section is more than 67 meters long and weighs up to 77 tons. The total weight of the delivered equipment exceeds 600 tons.
The equipment was transported along a complex multimodal route using international transport corridors. KazMunayGas described the delivery as one of the project's largest logistics operations.
The delivery marks an important stage in the implementation of what the company describes as Kazakhstan's largest petrochemical project.
For reference, loop reactors are industrial units in which ethylene is converted into polyethylene through a catalytic polymerization process. In the slurry-loop method, ethylene, a catalyst and other process components are fed into a closed circulation system, where the mixture is continuously pumped at high speed. The catalyst triggers the chemical reaction, causing polyethylene to form as solid particles suspended in a liquid medium.
Continuous circulation helps maintain uniform reaction conditions and remove the heat generated during polymerization. The resulting polymer slurry is then separated from the liquid medium, dried and processed into polyethylene pellets.
The reactors are therefore at the heart of the production process: they are where the main chemical transformation takes place. Their design and operating conditions affect production efficiency, product quality and the range of polyethylene grades that can be manufactured.
Meanwhile, Silleno is one of Kazakhstan’s largest industrial diversification projects, designed to shift part of the country’s oil and gas industry from exporting raw hydrocarbons towards producing higher-value petrochemicals.
Located in the Atyrau Region, the plant represents an investment of approximately $7.4 billion and is designed to produce 1.25 million tons of polyethylene annually, with KazMunayGas, Russia’s SIBUR and China’s Sinopec participating in the project. Its feedstock will be ethane extracted from Tengiz gas at a dedicated gas separation complex, linking the project directly to Kazakhstan’s upstream oil and gas industry.
The plant is expected to produce more than 20 polyethylene grades, around 40% of which will be premium products used in packaging, construction materials, pipes, automotive components and other industries. The project also has a significant trade dimension: Kazakhstan currently imports polyethylene, while the new facility is intended to replace part of these supplies with domestic production.
According to KazMunayGas, around 20-24% of output is planned for the domestic market, with the remainder destined for export, including markets in the CIS, Europe, China and Türkiye. Beyond reducing import dependence, the project is intended to expand Kazakhstan’s non-resource exports, attract international investment and strengthen industrial cooperation with Chinese and Russian partners. It is expected to create around 8,000 jobs during construction and approximately 800 permanent positions after commissioning, currently scheduled for 2029.
