(ICIS) -- Russia has identified six locations for cracker-based petrochemicals clusters over the next 10 years as part of plans to develop this sector in the country, an executive at Sibur said on Thursday. ⌠The government has set ambitious plans for the development of the petrochemicals industry by building six clusters of world-class ethylene capacities in the next 10 years, Maxim Savchenko, head of strategic development at the Russian producer said.
⌠Russia holds leading positions in oil and gas production but lags in petrochemicals, he told delegates at the Global Petrochemicals annual meeting, organised by the World Refining Association (WRA).
The clusters will be located at two "brownfield" sites and four "greenfield" sites, he told ICIS on the sidelines of the meeting.
They will be developed in phases, with the two brownfield sites - in western Siberia and in the Volga region - included in phase one.
Sibur already has gas fractionation and petrochemicals activities in Tobolsk, and is planning a new cracker project at the site. There is also already some petrochemicals production, including crackers, in Volga, he added.
Phase two of Russia's petrochemicals cluster plan involves developing a cluster in the Caspian region, he said. Phase three will involve developing clusters in the northwest region and eastern Siberia, and the final phase will involve a cluster in the far east of Russia, Savchenko added.
MRC