Petrochemical Holding GmbH

Petrochemical Holding GmbH
Company typeGmbH
IndustryInvestment holding; petrochemicals; industrial projects
Headquarters
Vienna
,
Austria
Key people
Iakov Goldovskiy [1]
Websitehttps://www.petrochemical.at/

Petrochemical Holding GmbH (often Petrochemical Holding or PCH) is an Austria-based investment holding company focused on petrochemical and related industrial projects.[2] It is a major shareholder in DrasChem Specialty Chemicals, a private free-zone company planning a sodium cyanide plant at the Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals (SIDPEC) complex near Alexandria, with a three-phase plan that includes a later stage for sodium-ion battery components.[3][4]

History

The company's operations start in 1996 in Eastern Europe, with later activity in other regions.[2][5]

In 2024, Petrochemical Holding and Czech company Draslovka announced sodium cyanide project in Egypt, listing Iakov Goldovskiy as president of Petrochemical Holding and describes a first-phase investment figure of $160 million with 80% of output intended for export.[1] Arabic-language Egyptian media published parallel summaries of the same meeting and figures.[6][7]

In November 2024, Egyptian press reported an official decision approving a private free zone for DrasChem at the SIDPEC complex site, including a stated area of 157,000 m2 and conditions that include export requirements and environmental compliance measures such as “zero liquid discharge” (ZLD).[8]

In 2026, DrasChem's phase I plan was described as $200 million with annual production of 50,000 tons of sodium cyanide, and a phase III plan for sodium-ion battery components. Petrochemical Holding is the largest shareholder in DrasChem.[3]

Operations

Petrochemical Holding is an investment holding group focused on industrial projects related to gas processing, petrochemicals, and related sectors, including integrating multiple projects into industrial complexes.[2] The company has investments and projects in multiple countries and sectors (for example, RAFO refinery, PET granulate, and Sodium cyanide).[5][9][9]

Egypt project

DrasChem's Egypt plan centers on a sodium cyanide plant at the SIDPEC complex near Alexandria, with production targeted to begin in 2028 after phase I completion and with later phases described as including derivative products and sodium-ion battery components.[3][4][10] The facility going to be “Middle East’s 1st” sodium cyanide production facility and links planned output to gold extraction and battery manufacturing.[3] It involves a first-phase capacity of 50,000 tons and investment of about $200 million.[11][12][13][4][14][15]

In 2025, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) and Friedrich Schiller University Jena described work on sodium-ion batteries that use lignin-derived hard carbon as an electrode material, under a project presented as “ThüNaBsE.”[16] Pv magazine summarized the same research as a 1 Ah prototype sodium-ion cell using lignin-based hard carbon, and it noted that an industrial advisory board for the project included Petrochemical Holding GmbH (Vienna).[17]

Petrochemical Holding GmbH was included in the industrial advisory board for the lignin-based sodium-ion battery project.[16][18][19]

Petrochemical Holding GmbH brought an investor–state case against Romania at ICSID (Case No. ARB/19/21) under the Energy Charter Treaty, linked to its investment in RAFO S.A., an oil refinery in Onești, Romania.[20][21] UNCTAD's case summary lists an award dated November 19, 2024, with an outcome “Decided in favour of investor,” and records compensation awarded of €85 million (annulment proceedings are listed as pending).[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "وزير التجارة والصناعة يبحث مع ممثلي شركتين نمساوية وتشيكية خطط انشاء مشروع مشترك لإنتاج سيانيد الصوديوم في مصر". Egyptian Cabinet (رئاسة مجلس الوزراء) (in Arabic). April 24, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Petrochemical Holding GmbH". Petrochemical Holding GmbH. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "DrasChem to Establish Middle East's 1st Sodium Cyanide Production Facility in Alexandria". Invest in Egypt (government investment portal). February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c "GAFI, DrasChem Discuss $200 Mn Sodium Cyanide Plant at Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Complex". Egypt Oil & Gas. February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Imprint / Legal Notice". Petrochemical Holding GmbH. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  6. ^ ""التجارة": إنشاء مصنع لإنتاج سيانيد الصوديوم باستثمارات مبدئية 160 مليون دولار". ElWatan News (in Arabic). April 24, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  7. ^ "شركتان تخططان لإنشاء مصنع لإنتاج سيانيد الصوديوم باستثمارات 160 مليون دولار". Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic). April 25, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  8. ^ "تتولها هيئة الاستثمار.. إنشاء منطقة حرة باسم دراسكيم للكيماويات المتخصصة". Cairo 24 (in Arabic). November 27, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  9. ^ a b "DrasChem: Sodium cyanide and its derivatives in Egypt". Petrochemical Holding GmbH. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  10. ^ "DrasChem to establish Middle East's first sodium cyanide plant in Alexandria". Daily News Egypt. February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  11. ^ "Egypt to Establish Middle East's 1st Sodium Cyanide Plant for Gold Extraction". Asharq Al-Awsat (English). February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  12. ^ "DrasChem to Build Middle East's First Sodium Cyanide Plant in Egypt". CairoScene. February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  13. ^ "DrasChem to build $200M sodium cyanide plant at Sidpec complex". Arab Finance. February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  14. ^ "投资局：埃及将成为非洲首个氰化钠出口国". Egypt State Information Service (SIS) – Africa & Egypt (Chinese) (in Chinese). February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  15. ^ "Egypt approves US$158.6 million Draschem project". African Mining Market. October 31, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  16. ^ a b "Sustainable batteries made from wood industry by-products". Fraunhofer IKTS. November 3, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  17. ^ "German researchers develop sodium-ion battery based on lignin". pv magazine International. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  18. ^ "Baterías sostenibles fabricadas con subproductos de la industria maderera". quimica.es (LUMITOS AG) (in Spanish). November 5, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  19. ^ "German Researchers Unveil Lignin-Based Sodium-Ion Battery". TechStory. February 9, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Petrochemical v. Romania (Petrochemical Holding GmbH v. Romania, ICSID Case No. ARB/19/21)". UNCTAD Investment Dispute Settlement Navigator. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  21. ^ "Petrochemical Holding GmbH v. Romania, ICSID Case No. ARB/19/21". Energy Charter Treaty. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
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