Odessa Port Plant OJSC: history, products, privatization

JSC Odessa Port Plant is one of the largest Ukrainian chemical enterprises for the production of urea and ammonia. The OPF also transports the products of other companies by water and rail.

Historical reference

The construction of the Odessa Portside Plant (OPF) near the Grigorievsky Estuary began in 1974. After 4 years, the company gave the first product - liquid nitrogen. Soon the ammonia unit No. 1 was started. At the same time, the transport and transshipment section was developing.

In 1979, the basic capacities are gradually introduced. On the 2417-kilometer ammonia pipeline "Togliatti - Odessa" began to receive chemical products for shipment to other regions of the USSR and abroad. In the 1980s, the Odessa Port Plant started production of dry ice, carbamide, liquid carbon dioxide. The beginning of the 90's was marked by the introduction of electronic control systems, microprocessor technology, communication systems. In 1999, ammonia production was expanded. In 2002-2004, Modernized the site of carbamide production.

Characteristics of the enterprise

Odessa Port Plant specializes in the synthesis of urea, ammonia (23% and 18% of the total Ukrainian production, respectively). The auxiliary function of the plant is the reloading of substances coming from other producers. Overload services provide an additional source of income (about 5% of total revenue). In addition to ammonia and urea? OPP produces liquid nitrogen, carbon dioxide, liquid oxygen.

Production of ammonia

Odessa Port Plant has two units with an initial capacity of 450,000 tons of products each year. The technological process was developed by Kellogg and made by the French company Creusot-Loire. The raw material is natural gas. After reconstruction, the productivity increased to 1,160,000 tons (in total).

Carbamide production

It is implemented on the basis of two units with a design capacity of 660,000 tons per year (330,000 tons each). Installations were commissioned in 1984 and 1985. The technological process was developed by Stamicarbon, a project carried out by the Czech firm HEPOS. The raw materials are gaseous carbon dioxide and liquid ammonia. As a result of reconstruction and modernization, the maximum actual capacity is 942,000 tons per year.

Transshipment

The designed capacity for transshipment of ammonia is 4,000,000 tons per year, with the volume of storage reaching 120,000 tons. The maximum permissible one-time storage of ammonia in the storage facilities is 81,000 tons. Ammonia comes mostly by rail or ammonia pipeline.

The design capacity of carbamide is 3,600,000 tons per year. The total volume of storage facilities is 80,000 tons. Methanol transshipment reaches 1,000,000 tons. The volume of storage is 36,000 tons. Methanol is supplied by railways.

Export

Due to its location and connection with the infrastructure for transportation of chemical components Odessa Port Plant is export oriented. About 90% of the products are exported abroad. The main export destinations are Turkey, the countries of Africa, Latin America, Europe and the USA.

Production technology

The main raw material for nitrogen plants is natural gas. As a result of gas processing, AO OPO produces ammonia. Part of it is sent to ammonia storage and then sold. Another part of the produced ammonia is sent to the production of urea. Carbon dioxide is also produced using carbon dioxide (CO2), which is obtained as a by-product in the production of ammonia.

The main potential sources of natural gas supply to the IPF are:

• Natural gas produced on the territory of Ukraine;
• Russian natural gas;
• Gas, which comes from Europe on the reverse scheme.

In 2014, in addition to natural gas supplied by the state-owned company Naftogaz of Ukraine, AO OPZ imported some of the gas from Hungary and Slovakia under the reverse scheme. Also part of the raw materials in 2014 was supplied to the plant by private Ukrainian companies. To fully utilize its facilities, the production requires about 1.3 billion cubic meters ^of gas annually.

Odessa port plant: the price of privatization

For many years, the IPF remained a joint stock company, 99.6% of whose shares were controlled by the state. The giant of chemistry was a "lucrative" asset for large financial groups. In 2009, attempts were made to privatize him under President Yushchenko, but they were foiled under the pretext of collusion of applicants and understating the real value of the enterprise.

The second attempt of privatization was planned for December 14, 2016. Back in July 2014, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine voiced the intention to expose the IPF for bidding along with other 164 objects. The State Property Fund expected to sell the shares of the plant at UAH 5.16 billion. However, due to the allegedly exposed corruption schemes, the process was suspended. Now the anti-corruption bureau is conducting an investigation. Due to the privatization confusion, production was temporarily suspended and resumed in the spring of 2017. Now the issue of bankruptcy is being considered.