Amur GCC plans networked robotic loaders for polymer logistics

Amur Gas Chemical Complex plans to coordinate robotic loaders through a shared network for its future polymer logistics operation. Twenty-five unmanned loaders have undergone manufacturer trials, and the first batch has been dispatched to the construction site. Each machine is designed to carry up to three tonnes and operate for up to ten hours on one charge.

The loaders use stationary objects for lidar navigation within a ten-metre range. Operators will supervise their coordinated movements. Logistics director Ivan Zolotukhin forecasts an improvement of more than 30% in internal logistics efficiency; this remains an expectation for the planned system.

Planned handling facilities

Seventeen logistics facilities, including packaging areas and a rail container terminal.
Digital container inspection and acceptance, with unmanned container-loading cranes.
On-site film and plastic pallet production, with automatic packaging-material supply.

Earlier transport agreements

SIBUR began arranging external transport cooperation before the current equipment programme. At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on 3 September 2021, it signed separate agreements with FESCO, TransContainer and Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port. These concerned cooperation on logistics for the Amur complex.

A further three-party memorandum involved RusHydro and Sollers. The arrangements addressed coordinated planning for export and import freight after the complex starts operating. They established a framework for cooperation between the partners rather than announcing completed freight services or a running distribution network.

Production schedule and ownership

SIBUR owns 60% of the project and Sinopec holds 40%. In May 2025, chief executive Sergei Sergeyev put overall readiness at 76%. Two units were already built and undergoing testing without feedstock, with mechanical readiness for those units expected by the end of that year.

Sergeyev expected initial polyethylene production in the third quarter of 2026 and polypropylene production in 2027. Design capacity is 2.3 million tonnes of polyethylene and 400,000 tonnes of polypropylene annually. Gazprom’s Amur Gas Processing Plant is to supply ethane and liquefied petroleum gas; commissioning schedules are coordinated between the projects.