Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals
West Africa's only integrated petrochemical and fertiliser complex — from gas to granules.
Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited (IEPL) is an integrated olefins and polyolefins complex located in the Eleme Petrochemical Industrial Zone in Rivers State, Nigeria. Originally built by the Nigerian government in the 1990s and privatised in 2006 when Indorama Corporation acquired a majority stake, the complex has been transformed through over $3 billion in investment. The facility produces polyethylene and polypropylene, and Indorama later added a world-scale fertiliser plant (Indorama Eleme Fertiliser & Chemicals) producing 1.5 million MTPA of urea. The fertiliser plant, commissioned in 2016, was the largest private-sector investment in Nigeria at the time.
- 01Produce 240,000 tonnes per year of polyethylene and polypropylene for Nigerian and West African markets
- 02Produce 1.5 million tonnes per year of granulated urea for domestic and export fertiliser markets
- 03Monetise Nigerian natural gas through conversion to high-value petrochemical and fertiliser products
- 04Substitute petrochemical imports and reduce Nigeria's foreign exchange expenditure on plastic raw materials
- 05Create thousands of jobs in manufacturing, services, and downstream plastics conversion industries
- 06Support Nigerian agriculture by providing affordable domestically-produced fertiliser
1995 · completed
Original Complex Commissioned
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) commissions the Eleme Petrochemicals Company with an olefins cracker and polyethylene plant.
2006 · completed
Privatisation — Indorama Acquisition
Indorama Corporation of Thailand/Indonesia acquires a 75% stake in the moribund complex and begins a comprehensive rehabilitation and expansion programme.
2013 · completed
Petrochemical Plant Revitalised
Following extensive turnaround and debottlenecking, the petrochemical complex reaches full production. Polypropylene production line added to the existing polyethylene capacity.
2016 · completed
Fertiliser Plant Commissioned
The $1.5 billion Indorama Eleme Fertiliser & Chemicals plant is commissioned, producing 1.5 million MTPA of urea. It is the first new-build fertiliser plant in Nigeria in over 25 years.
2022 · completed
Train 2 Fertiliser Plant Operational
A second fertiliser train comes online, further increasing Indorama's urea production capacity at the Eleme complex.
2025 · in progress
Methanol and Derivatives Expansion
Indorama progresses plans for a methanol plant and further downstream chemical derivatives to expand the integrated complex.
Raw Material
Natural Gas Feedstock
Gas supplied from the Niger Delta gas fields. The complex consumes large volumes of gas as both feedstock (for ethylene cracking and ammonia synthesis) and fuel.
Processing Equipment
Olefins Cracker
Gas cracker producing ethylene and propylene as primary feedstocks for polyethylene and polypropylene polymerisation.
Processing Equipment
Fertiliser Plant
Ammonia-urea complex producing 1.5 million MTPA of granulated urea for agricultural use.
Logistics
Port Harcourt Port Access
Proximity to Port Harcourt and Onne port facilities for both feedstock import and product export.
Infrastructure
Industrial Free Zone
Located in the Eleme Petrochemical Industrial Zone with supporting infrastructure including power, water, and transport.
- Gas-phase polyethylene production using fluidised bed reactor technology
- Polypropylene production using Spheripol loop reactor process
- Ammonia synthesis and urea granulation for fertiliser production using Haldor Topsoe technology
- Natural gas processing and ethylene cracking for feedstock preparation
- Advanced distributed control systems (DCS) for integrated process monitoring
- Effluent treatment and waste management systems meeting international environmental standards
What it means for the community
Indorama's transformation of the Eleme complex from a moribund state-owned facility to a thriving $3 billion petrochemical and fertiliser hub is one of Africa's most successful privatisation stories. The complex directly employs over 2,500 people and supports thousands of downstream jobs in plastics manufacturing and agriculture. The fertiliser plant alone saves Nigeria an estimated $500 million per year in import costs and provides affordable urea to millions of farmers. Indorama is the largest Nigerian company in terms of foreign direct investment from Southeast Asia.
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- Indorama Corporation (Thailand/Indonesia) — 75% stake
- Nigerian partners 25%