Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Co., Ltd. won the bid for the design, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Maoming Petrochemical’s 30,000 tons per year MPAO industrial plant project

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Recently, the winning bidder for Bid Section 1 of the design, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant project operated by Sinopec’s Maoming Petrochemical was announced following the evaluation process. First winning bidder: Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Co., Ltd. (Sinopec Fifth Construction Co., Ltd.) Project background and overview Project name: Construction of a 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant by Sinopec Maoming Branch Location: Dianbai District, Maoming City, Guangdong Province; it is situated within the chemical plant area of the Maoming Branch, at the location of the styrene plant, covering an area of 20,640 square meters. Construction scale: Build a new 30,000 tons/year mPAO industrial plant with an operating flexibility of 60%–110%. Total project investment: 584.25 million yuan, of which 2.45 million yuan is allocated to environmental protection measures. Construction period: December 2025 ~ May 2027. Project type: Expansion. mPAO (metallocene poly-alpha-olefin) is a high-grade synthetic lubricant base oil obtained through the polymerization of alpha-olefins catalyzed by metallocene catalysts. Compared with conventional synthetic poly-alpha-olefins (cPAO), mPAO possesses significant advantages such as a high viscosity index, high shear stability, low volatility, and low toxicity. Performance advantages: It features an extremely high viscosity index, excellent flow properties at low temperatures, and good wear resistance, enabling it to meet the requirements of harsh environments such as extreme cold and high temperatures. Application areas: This product can be widely used in key fields such as aerospace, navigation, wind power, high-speed trains, robotics, luxury automobiles, and the cooling of artificial intelligence servers. It serves as an important supporting material for the development of the new energy industry and the high-end equipment manufacturing sector. Strategic significance: For a long time, the market for high-end mPAO products has been dominated by foreign companies. The construction of this project is an important step taken by Maoming Petrochemical to extend its petrochemical industry chain and advance the development of high-end products. It will effectively meet the growing domestic demand for high-quality base oils for lubricants, help China break free from foreign technological monopolies, and ensure the security of its industry and supply chains. Maoming Petrochemical has been active in the field of mPAO for many years, possessing extensive technical expertise and independent intellectual property rights. Technical breakthrough: The company established an innovation team in 2016. After seven years of research and development, it successfully created a set of mPAO technologies with independent intellectual property rights, and built China’s first pilot-scale mPAO production facility with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons. Its “a method for preparing polyα-olefins with a high viscosity index” has been granted a patent by the United States Patent Office, marking international recognition of this technology. Product advantages: In February 2025, Maoming Petrochemical successfully produced China’s first synthetic lubricant base oil with an extremely high viscosity index, namely mPAO20. Its performance parameters are on par with, or even superior to, those of imported products. Market potential: With the rapid development of strategic emerging industries such as new energy and high-end equipment manufacturing, the demand for high-performance synthetic lubricants will continue to grow. Upon completion of the project, Maoming Petrochemical is expected to become China’s largest MPAO production base, capable not only of meeting domestic market demands but also of competing in the international market. Raw materials and products: The project uses α-olefins and hydrogen as its main raw materials; upon completion, it will produce 30,210 tons of mPAO per year, with unreacted α-olefins, dimers, and other by-products generated as well. Environmental protection measures: The project attaches great importance to environmental protection and will adopt advanced pollution control technologies to ensure that pollutant emissions comply with ** and local standards. Specific measures include exhaust gas treatment systems, wastewater treatment facilities, noise control measures, and the sorted disposal of solid waste. This project is part of Maoming Petrochemical’s refinery transformation and upgrading initiative, as well as the improvement project for ethylene production, with the aim of advancing the development of its products toward higher quality and greater sophistication. September 2025: The project’s environmental impact assessment report enters the public notification period. February 2026: Bidding will be held for Bid Section 1 of the project’s engineering supervision. March 2026: Announcement of shortlisted candidates for Bid Section 1 of the EPC general contracting project. The announcement of the winner for this EPC turnkey contract marks a crucial step forward as the project enters the actual construction phase. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2027, which will further enhance China’s core competitiveness in the field of high-end synthetic materials.