S-OIL announced on Monday that it has successfully installed the largest propylene separation tower at its Shaheen project construction site.
The tower is 118 meters high, 8.5 meters in diameter, and 2,370 tons in weight, making it the highest petrochemical facility in South Korea. The facility produces propylene.
The Shaheen project is making steady progress. The overall engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) completion rate surpasses 60% as key facilities continue to be built one after another.
Once fully operational, the Shaheen project will enable S-OIL to produce a range of basic petrochemicals, including 1.8 million tons of ethylene, 770,000 tons of propylene, 200,000 tons of butadiene, and 280,000 tons of benzene annually.
Furthermore, S-OIL plans to use on-site ethylene as a raw material for manufacturing polyethylene (880,000 tons of LLDPE and 440,000 tons of HDPE), essential for various synthetic materials, including plastics.
S-OIL expressed optimism that this project will be a pivotal turning point for the South Korean petrochemical industry, which has been grappling with challenges stemming from sluggish global demand growth and significant capacity expansions in China.