Production of graphite electrodes will be launched in Omsk

It will operate on the territory of the Avangard special economic zone. A plant for ultra high power graphite electrodes will be built there. It will be integrated into the unified production chain of GazpromNeft.

Facts

The project operator will be Gazpromneft – Bitumen Materials, one of the largest players in the Russian bitumen market (occupies 40% of the market).
The raw materials for the production of electrodes will be supplied by the Omsk Oil Refinery, the key enterprise of Gazprom Neft in the Omsk Region.
Perspectives

The design capacity of the new plant is 30 thousand tons per year. This will allow meeting a significant part of the demand of Russian steel enterprises for super-powerful electrodes and increasing the independence of the Russian metallurgical industry from foreign suppliers.
The new industry will give the residents of the region new jobs. However, by 2030, their total number in the SEZ will reach only 700.
Risks

Local experts fear the deterioration of the environmental situation in Omsk after the opening of Avangard. According to the ecological rating “Green Patrol”, by the beginning of 2021 the Omsk region was ranked 84th among 85 Russian regions.
Previously, China was the main player in the world market for graphite electrodes. However, in 2017, several large Chinese enterprises were closed for environmental reasons.
The new plant will provide a relatively small increase in investment in the region. In addition, his tax revenues will be limited due to the preferential tax regime in the SEZ.