Overview
| . | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 (estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market Size | 858 | 2450 | 3000 |
| Total Local Production | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Exports | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Imports | 858 | 2450 | 3000 |
| Imports from the U.S. | 450 | 621 | 1124 |
(Exchange rate used: 1 USD = LE 5.75. Values are in millions of U.S. Dollars. Figures listed are unofficial estimates).
Egypt’s petrochemical industry is growing at a ten fold pace, having increased from $328 million in 2004 to a projected $3 billion in 2007. Currently, four projects are in progress and are expected to produce 2.6 billion tons of petrochemicals in 2008 and 2009. Another two projects to produce polypropylene and polystyrene are under negotiations and are expected to cost $800 million. This is part of the Government’s 20-year ambitious master plan to produce petrochemicals for export, in addition to covering the demands of the local market. The plan will be executed in three phases, is estimated at a cost of $10 billion. The estimated cost for the first phase is $3.8 billion and will be completed in 2008.
U.S. technology is in great demand. The majority of the existing petrochemical plants are producing under license from U.S. companies. Polypropylene is produced under license from Union Carbide, Polyvinyl Chloride from Oxy-Vinyl, while the 80,000 tons produced by the new Alkyl Benzene plant (which will be operational in 2007) is under license from Universal Operations Project (UOP Oleflex).
Best Products/Services
- Linear Alkyl Benzene
- Propylene/Polypropylene
- Ethylene/Polyethylene
- Styrene/Polystyrene
- Methanol
- Acrylic Fiber
- Expansion of the PVC Project
- Production of Polyester and Ammonia/Urea – Phase II.
Opportunities
The petrochemical industry is in need of feasibility studies, technology transfer, project and equity participation, investment opportunities, and long-term product off-takers.
The Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company “EChem” is now the entity responsible for managing and supervising the establishment of any petrochemical project in Egypt. This company is under the umbrella of the Ministry of Petroleum.
Resources
Commercial Service in Egypt: http://www.buyusa.gov/egypt/en/
U.S. Embassy: http://usembassy.egnet.net
USAID: http://www.usaid-eg.org/
World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/
American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt: http://www.amcham.org.eg
Egyptian Government Web Portal: http://www.egypt.gov.eg/english/
EChem: http://www.echem-eg.com/
Contact for the Commercial Specialist in charge of the
Petrochemicals Sector:
Heba Abdel-Aziz, heba.abdel-aziz@mail.doc.gov