Rompetrol Rafinare is set to restart its Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) unit at the Petromidia refinery in early May, following the completion of final technological tests. The unit had been shut down at the end of 2023 due to unfavorable market conditions.
The company is investing USD 1.5 million in the reintegration of the LDPE installation, which is expected to solidify Rompetrol's position as the only national polymer producer in Romania.
“The growing demand for petrochemical products has led us to reactivate the LDPE installation, and this will lead to visible progress in the petrochemical division, which has recently depended only on the Polypropylene (PP) installation,” said Yedil Utekov, Chief Production & Industrial Services Officer at KMG International (Rompetrol).
In April, the LDPE installation underwent a thorough general turnaround, including equipment verification and re-authorization in compliance with current regulations. This process involved hydraulic pressure tests, resistance tests, and inspections of the pipeline system used to transport raw materials.
The LDPE unit is equipped with a 6.8 MW compressor, the largest of its kind at the refinery, and operates at an average pressure of 2,300-2,400 bar. Ethylene, one of the key raw materials derived from crude oil, is stored in a special cryogenic tank at -103°C.
The demand for ethylene is high globally, and the limited supply of refineries producing this material had previously impacted the availability of raw materials for the LDPE installation, the company said.
With a production capacity of 75,000 tons per year, the LDPE unit will start producing products such as heat-shrinkable film, agricultural film, thick bags, and thin film for packaging, supporting various industries in Romania.
In 2024, the petrochemical division processed 83,000 tons of propylene, with a total polymer production of around 60,000 tons. Rompetrol Rafinare aims to increase polymer production to over 145,000 tons in 2025.
Rompetrol Rafinare is primarily owned by KMG International (54.63%) and the Romanian State, through the Ministry of Energy (44.7%).
The LDPE unit, originally commissioned in 1988, had been shut down intermittently, including a period from 1996 until its complete closure in 2005. After significant investments and modernization, it was restarted in 2006, operating exclusively with imported ethylene. The unit remained in operation until November 2023, when it was temporarily shut down due to market volatility.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Facebook/Rompetrol - KMG International)
