Biaksplen (http://eng.biaxplen.ru) which clams to be Russia’s largest manufacturer of biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, is building a new 35,000 t/y production facility at the site of its 50% owner, Sibur (Moscow; www.sibur.ru), at Tomskneftekhim in Western Siberia.

Output of the new plant will lift Biaksplen’s total capacity to 130,000 t/y. In addition to Russia, the new material is to be sold in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other parts of Central Asia, along with China. PP starting material will be drawn from Sibur’s 100,000 t/y capacity at the site. Biaksplen, in which Sibur acquired a stake in December 2009, is the petrochemical holding company’s largest PP consumer.

The expansion at Biaksplen is in line with the Russian government’s economic development strategy, which foresees a shift from bulk petrochemicals to higher value-added innovation products, including PP-based synthetic paper claimed to be more cost-effective and durable than the conventional paper. Biaksplen, with capacity for 87,000 t/y of BOPP at Nizhny Novgorod, Kursk and Moscow, produces 40 types of film ranging from 10 to 40 microns for food and non-food flexible packaging and labels. It is currently certifying BOPP film in Russia for tobacco products. Sergey Merzlyakov, chairman of the company’s board of directors, pegs growth rates for BOPP film worldwide at 10% annually.