Business

Initiative: Pakistan to build country’s first Naphtha Cracker Complex

Currently buys all petrochemical feedstock from international market

Our Correspondent January 21, 2017

LAHORE: In an unprecedented development to boost the economy, Pakistan is set to build the country’s first ever Naphtha Cracker Complex (NCC), a state-of-the-art “grand infrastructure” to change petrochemical raw substances into value-added products ranging from construction, home décor, appliances, furniture, medical care, paints, cleaning stuff and top of the line military gadgets.

The absence of a naphtha cracker complex means Pakistan has to buy all petrochemical feedstock from international market that take heavy toll on import bill and prices of long range of items.

India has nine naphtha cracker complexes providing it tremendous mileage in industrial and economic progress.

The creation of this complex will revolutionise the industrial landscape.

The game-changing development came after an 18-member delegation of Pakistan Chemical Manufacturing Association (PCMA) met recently with Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms in his office, Islamabad where NCC was announced to be built to catalyse the economic progress.

Acknowledging NCC as a strategic need, Minister suggested PCMA to prepare feasibility report and viable business plan in consultation with market experts and technologists to help ministry to make it a reality.

NCC will have an impactful role in all industrial zones to be placed along the route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it was said at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2017.

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COMMENTS (6)

MKashif | 7 years ago | Reply Most annoying of the website, the sensodyne ad keep on appearing after closing it for 4,5 times,

Taha | 7 years ago | Reply This is a ill informed statement "The absence of a naphtha cracker complex means Pakistan has to buy all petrochemical feedstock from international market that take heavy toll on import bill and prices of long range of items." Naptha is unrefined raw material derived during oil refining process. Currently Pakistani refiners exports all Naptha to Singapore. If Naptha Cracker complex comes online Pakistan would be able to further refine its oil output. BYCO was in the process of setting this up.

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Virkaul | 7 years ago | Reply @MHB: You are right. Rest assured, it won't come before 2025 as it is only a primitive thought.

Virkaul | 7 years ago | Reply Still the reporter does not know the size of the cracker. Normal capacity in India is 350,000 to 450,000 TPA. Largest one is 750,000 TPA at Reliance.

Sandip | 7 years ago | Reply Sure, just lump it into that CPEC. It will come out all washed and cleaned - Along with the BILL, of course.

MHB | 7 years ago | Reply Could the article /governmental meeting get more generic than this? Goodles to know that there is general concensus for a naphtha cracker but where are the details? Is it a part of vision 2025? Any targeted time frame for the project? Funding possibilities- after all, it is a multi billion dollar project. It's sad how inconclusive/ lacking of substance our governmental meetings are.

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