Egyptian petrochemical company Carbon Holdings has set forth a $6.9 billion project that will create the largest petrochemical plant in Egypt and the largest naphtha cracker plant in the world. As the main automation contractor, Emerson Process Management has been slated for $150 million of that project.
Emerson has been selected to provide automation and reliability technologies and services for the Tahrir Petrochemicals Project in Ain Sokhna, Egypt, near the Gulf of Suez. Engineering services will include designing the plant for optimum availability, and the reliability program includes consulting services, equipment health monitoring, and a reliability service center for ongoing local support and expertise.
When completed, the Tahrir project will produce 1.5 million metric tons per year of ethylene that will then be further processed into polyethylene. Other major products will include propylene, polypropylene, hexene, butadiene, benzene and styrene.
The Tahrir Petrochemicals Complex will be constructed in Egypt’s Suez Special Economic Development Zone. Serving both local and export markets, the operation is expected to generate $6 billion in annual revenue, and increase Egypt’s annual exports by more than 25 percent.
“Investments of this size require us to select partners that have a long history of handling large, complex projects and the expertise to produce a reliable plant with dependable output,” said Basil El-Baz, chairman and CEO of Carbon Holdings. “We chose Emerson for its proven ability to deliver a successful automation project that results in an efficient, high-availability operation.”
El-Baz met with David Farr, chairman and CEO of Emerson, at Emerson’s Middle East headquarters in Dubai to sign the memorandum of understanding, which includes a preferred equity investment by Emerson in Tahrir Petrochemicals.
“We are excited to help Carbon Holdings realize its vision of creating a world-class petrochemical complex that can be a catalyst for economic development in Egypt,” Farr said. “With Emerson’s technologies, experience and expertise, Carbon Holdings has positioned itself for top-quartile performance—not only in project execution, but ongoing operations as well.”
