Has the 800,000-ton ethylene plant in Wuhan started operations?

Work has started; production can begin by the end of 2011

If it is still in the design stage, starting production in 2011 can only be a dream.

1. This year, 1 billion will be invested in carrying out the work of road construction, water supply, electricity supply, and land leveling； 2. Basic design work is planned to begin on March 20, with completion expected by the end of the year.

The project has not yet started, mainly because Sinopec is in poor financial condition and has cash flow issues, leaving it without the funds needed for investment. On top of that, there is the financial crisis, and it is said that they are in talks with South Korea regarding cooperation. It is hoped that this plan to revitalize the petrochemical industry will be able to secure **loans.

It hadn’t been started before because of efficiency issues; from an economic perspective, it wasn’t cost-effective, which is why the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission held things up! ～

The Chinese Central **quoted a statement from the State Council on its website, stating that the construction has begun on China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.’s (SNP) ethylene production facility in Wuhan, with an annual capacity of 800,000 tons. According to a statement released on the 19th, the plant is part of a plan to build large-scale ethylene production capacity in central and western China, aimed at meeting the demand for petrochemical products in those regions. The announcement added that Sinopec holds a 65% stake in the plant, while SK Energy Co. (096770.SE), South Korea’s largest oil refining company, owns 35% of it. The factory will begin operations in 2011. The announcement states that in addition to 800,000 tons of ethylene, the project also produces important chemical products including 300,000 tons of high-density polyethylene, 300,000 tons of linear low-density polyethylene, and 400,000 tons of polypropylene. On the evening of the 19th, China’s State Council approved a major plan to support petrochemical companies, providing them with incentives such as tax benefits. The details of the plan have not been disclosed yet.

Work has not started; it was delayed due to the financial crisis.

Work should not have started yet; everything is awaiting Sinopec’s approval!

Construction has not started. I returned to Wuhan a few days ago; I visited Wuhan Petrochemical. The site for the ethylene production facility has been designated (probably long ago), but work still hasn’t begun there

Site grading is complete, and the overall design is in progress. Only the senior management of the head office knows the specific start date.

As it is a joint venture, construction has been postponed to allow state-owned large ethylene plants to be built first (with the exception of Fujian Ethylene)

The basic design for 10# panj started on March 20; it cannot be completed in less than half a year； Then the detailed design will take at least a year. It went into operation in 2011 – it’s really like a dream.

Was it built by CNPC? Sinopec? Who’s the general contractor?