Linde Engineering, a division of the Linde Group, is set to build a new Alpha-Sablin plant for the production of linear alpha olefins (LAO) in Nizhnekamsk, Russian Federation, which upon completion will be operated by Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNH), a Russian petrochemical producer.

NKNH awarded Linde Engineering contracts for license, basic/detail engineering and supply of equipment and materials for revamping of NKNH's existing LAO plant.

The plant is expected to come on-stream by mid of 2014, supplying NKNH with 37.5 kta linear alpha olefins with maximized production of C4 and C6 fractions. The revamp project will partially make use of the existing equipment of NKNH's former LAO plant with implementation of Alpha-Sablin technology.

Alpha-Sablin is a flexible full range process for the production of linear alpha olefins by selective catalytic oligomerization of polymer grad ethylene, jointly developed and owned by Linde Engineering and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

The first full scale Alpha-Sablin plant with a capacity of 150 kta linear alpha olefins was built in 2009 for Jubail United Petrochemical Company (UNITED) in Al Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.