Sinopec plans Hainan PX, PTA

28 March 2005 00:01  [Source: ACN]

SINOPEC plans to build a 450 000 tonne/year paraxylene (PX) facility and a 600 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in Yangpu Economic Development Zone, Hainan, China, industry sources told ACN.

It plans to supply the proposed PX facility with naphtha feedstock from its refinery at the site (see box).

It was unclear whether the company had done a feasibility study on the project. One of the sources said the project would be pursued after Sinopec had built the refinery.

Sinopec’s subsidiary, Hainan Shihua Refining-Chemical Co, which is working on the refinery project, is likely to operate the proposed plants.

The provincial government has proposed building at the same site a cracker with a capacity of 800 000 tonne/year or 1m tonne/year. ACN understands potential foreign investors such as Dow Chemical have visited the site and some officials from a Middle Eastern country are expected to visit soon. A Dow spokesman declined comment.

Refinery, PP unit

SINOPEC is building an 8m tonne/year refinery and a 200 000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) unit in Yangpu Economic Development Zone, Hainan, China, according to industry sources.

The proposed facilities would come onstream in June next year, said one of the sources. Another source said the refinery could be expanded to 12m tonne/year later; it would provide sufficient feedstock for the proposed cracker.

80ktpa SM joint venture with Garson

SINOPEC and Garson are to jointly build an 80 000 tonne/year styrene monomer (SM) plant in Yangpu Economic Development Zone, Hainan, China, said sources close to the project. The provincial government had approved the project’s feasibility study and environment assessment, said one of the sources.

The companies planned to start up the proposed plant in mid-2006, he added. Benzene feedstock would be sourced from the refinery, while ethylene would be extracted from the refinery’s off-gas. Sinopec and Garson would have an equal share in the project, through their joint-venture firm, Hainan Shihua Garson Chemical Co.

Garson had an SM project in Jinshan, Shanghai, China, with Shanghai Petrochemical Co, a Sinopec subsidiary (ACN 17 May 2004). But the plan was shelved owing to the non-availability of benzene and its high cost.

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly