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Background: A big petrochemical centre is situated in the new town of Novopolotsk in Byelorussia.

Construction of the refinery was started in late 1950's. Early in 1963 its first stage was commissioned-- a unit producing fuel oil and lubricants bought by eleven countries.

Another factory, a chemical combine, was commissioned in 1965. It produces polythene, artificial fibers, acids which are exported to socialist countries, to Finland, Britain, the Federal Germany among other countries.

The petrochemical centre was built with participation of companies in Britain, Japan, Czechoslovakia and the German Democratic rep republic. With the assistance of experts from the GDR there was developed Polimir-50 a unit that can annually produce 50,000 tons of polythene.

In the 1976-80 period Soviet petrochemical industry is to boost its output by 25-30 per cent mainly through more intensive production.