The 10 large ethylene projects set to begin construction

The Luoyang Petrochemical million-ton ethylene project is a key initiative supported by Henan Province for the development of Luoyang as a secondary urban center. It also includes plans to build facilities for producing 200,000 tons per year of high-density polyethylene, 600,000 tons per year of linear low-density polyethylene, 280,000 tons per year of ethylene glycol, and 350,000 tons per year of polypropylene. Latest project progress: On October 13–14, 2021, a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of the project’s feasibility study report were conducted.

Luxi 240,000 tons/year ethylene downstream integration project: The 240,000 tons/year ethylene downstream integration project undertaken by Luxi Chemical is expected to require a total investment of 1.186 billion yuan, with implementation taking place in phases. The monetary funds used for project construction are primarily obtained through the company’s own financing, bank loans, and other funding methods, to ensure the smooth progress of the project. This project represents an extension of the company’s existing ethylene-based products. Once completed and put into operation, it will enable the production of high-value-added products such as propanol, propionic acid, and propionaldehyde, thereby further enriching the industrial chain in the park. Latest project progress: On December 24, 2020, Luxi Chemical announced its intention to invest in a construction project.

CNOOC Shell Huizhou Phase III Ethylene Project: The CNOOC Shell Huizhou Phase III Ethylene Project is located in the Daya Bay Petrochemical Zone in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province. The total investment amount is approximately 5.6 billion US dollars (about 39.6 billion RMB). Building on the first phase with 1 million tons per year of ethylene production and the second phase with 1.2 million tons per year, an additional 1.5 million tons per year of ethylene production will be added, resulting in an estimated annual output value of around 38.2 billion yuan. Latest project progress: On May 17, 2020, a ceremony for the signing of the strategic cooperation framework agreement was held via virtual means simultaneously in Guangzhou, Beijing, and The Hague, Netherlands.

Fuhai Tangshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd.’s project for producing olefins from diverse feedstocks is located in the Caofeidian Petrochemical Industry Base in Tangshan City, Hebei Province. This project involves the construction of an ethylene plant with an annual production capacity of 1 million tons, as well as downstream chemical product manufacturing facilities, along with the necessary utility systems and supporting infrastructure. Latest project progress: On April 14, 2020, the first public announcement regarding the project’s environmental impact assessment was made.

The million-ton-scale ethylene production project via steam cracking of Shunbei crude oil at Tahe Refining & Chemical Company is located in the Kuqa Economic and Technological Development Zone, Kuqa County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, operated by Sinopec Tahe Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. The main construction involves 10 chemical processing units, with an ethylene production capacity of 1 million tons per year as the core facility; the other 9 units are respectively a 450,000 tons per year HDPE plant, a 400,000 tons per year LLDPE plant, a 200,000 tons per year LDPE plant, a 200,000 tons per year 1#PP plant, a 300,000 tons per year 2#PP plant, a 140,000 tons per year butadiene extraction plant, a 100,000/40,000 tons per year MTBE/butene-1 plant, a 650,000 tons per year pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation plant, and a 350,000 tons per year aromatic extraction plant. Latest project progress: On April 8, 2020, the first public disclosure of information regarding public participation in the environmental impact assessment was made.

Sinopec Anqing Branch’s Refining and Conversion Process Restructuring Project: This project is located within the existing plant area of Sinopec Anqing Branch in Anqing City, Anhui Province, as well as in the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. With a total investment of 6.418 billion yuan, it aims to achieve efficient conversion of heavy oil into low-carbon olefins and aromatics through adjustments to the heavy oil processing facilities, thereby producing more chemical raw materials such as low-carbon olefins and aromatics. The chemical sector of the project involves the construction of an ethylbenzene-styrene plant with a capacity of 400,000 tons per year, and a polypropylene plant with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year ； Carry out corresponding system and supporting project modifications. Latest project progress: On June 25, 2021, the construction of the main project structure commenced.

The relocation project of Dalian Petrochemical: The relocation project of CNPC Dalian Petrochemical Company will be carried out in two phases at the Xizhongdao Petrochemical Industry Base. In the first phase, a refinery with an annual capacity of 10 million tons and an ethylene plant with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons will be built; the approval for this project is scheduled to be obtained this year, with construction starting next year. Subsequently, the second phase of the relocation project was launched; once all facilities are completed and put into operation, West Central Island will ultimately have a refining capacity of 20 million tons and an ethylene production capacity of 2.4 million tons. Taking this relocation as an opportunity, Dalian Petrochemical will also carry out the task of transforming from a fuel-based refinery into a chemical-based refinery. The olefin industry is the main focus of Dalian Petrochemical’s relocation efforts. In the future, relying on its 2.4 million tons of ethylene production capacity, Dalian Petrochemical will expand its operations into the carbon dioxide, carbon three, carbon four, and carbon nine product chains, thereby creating an industrial chain that is dominated by olefins with aromatics playing a supplementary role. Latest project progress: As of June 2021, the project is progressing actively.

Yulong Island Refining and Chemical Integration Project (Phase I): The Yulong Island Refining and Chemical Integration Project is located on Yulong Island in Longkou, Yantai City, Shandong Province, with a planned total production capacity of 40 million tons. Phase 1 is planned to have a crude oil processing capacity of 20 million tons per year, along with 2 ethylene production units capable of 1.5 million tons per year each, as well as associated facilities for producing polyethylene, polypropylene, aromatics, etc.; the main products will be chemical raw materials such as ethylene and aromatics. Latest project progress: In August 2020, it was planned to review the project’s environmental impact assessment documents.

The 15 million tons per year integrated refining and chemical processing project of Ruyang Petrochemical: The 15 million tons per year integrated refining and chemical processing project of Tangshan Ruyang Petrochemical Co., Ltd. is located in the Caofeidian Petrochemical Industry Base in Tangshan City, Hebei Province. With an investment of 57.837 billion yuan, it utilizes imported crude oil to build an integrated facility capable of processing 15 million tons of oil per year, 3.5 million tons of aromatics per year, and 1.5 million tons of ethylene per year. Latest project progress: On January 20, 2020, the review and public announcement of the environmental impact assessment document for the land reclamation project were carried out.

There are reports that this ethylene project might not go any further