Russian petchems player Sibur opens tech centre in Nizhnekamsk

Russian petrochemicals giant Sibur has opened a RUB1.8bn ($19.9mn) engineering and technical development centre in Nizhnekamsk, aiming to address the growing demand for skilled personnel in the Tatarstan region’s chemical industry, the company said in a statement on May 23.

The Siburintekh-NK centre, built within the campus of the Nizhnekamsk Chemical and Technological Institute (NKTI), spans 3,200 square metres and includes 42 classrooms equipped with modern training systems, five outdoor training areas and 47 specialised stands and simulators.

According to Sibur, the facility is fully integrated into NKTI’s educational programmes and will train and retrain up to 15,000 people annually – including 2,000 university students and 1,500 secondary school pupils. Around 96% of the equipment was sourced from Russia and other countries, and the laboratories make use of digital tools, including virtual and augmented reality. One of the centre’s features includes a drone operations training module delivered via virtual simulation.

The company emphasised its practice-oriented education model, with 80% of instruction time dedicated to hands-on learning. “The centre was designed to improve the appeal of engineering careers and ensure a steady flow of qualified professionals into the industry,” Sibur said.

The initiative comes as the petrochemical sector in Tatarstan, which employs about 45,000 people, is projected to need over 5,000 additional skilled workers in the next five years. The new facility is expected to help close this gap while modernising the technical training infrastructure in the region.

Sibur’s investment in the centre aligns with broader state-backed efforts to localise industrial training and strengthen domestic competencies amid sanctions and import substitution policy priorities. The move also reflects a push by major Russian industrial firms to deepen engagement with regional educational institutions and secure future talent pipelines.

Prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia’s petrochemicals sector was heavily reliant on Western expertise, equipment and technology, and subsequent sanctions have caused complications and delays for several major projects. 

Russian operators typically relied on Western engineering procurement and construction (EPC) and front-end engineering design (FEED) contractors for advancing projects, as well as process licences for producing key products, and maintenance services to keep plants running.