Maoming Petrochemical’s new 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant project

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Recently, the Maoming Ecology and Environment Bureau issued a public notice regarding the acceptance of the environmental impact assessment report for the new 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant project of Sinopec Maoming Branch. Metallocene polyalpha-olefins (mPAO) are high-quality synthetic lubricant base oils obtained through the polymerization of alpha-olefins using metallocene catalysts. Compared with conventional synthetic polyalpha-olefins (cPAO), mPAO boasts advantages such as a high viscosity index, excellent shear stability, low volatility, and low toxicity, which has earned it widespread recognition in the market, leading to a growing demand for it. Over the years, the Maoming branch has been dedicated to research on high-end lubricants. In a situation where there were no precedents for the industrial application of ultra-high viscosity index mPAO technology in China, it formed a joint research team with relevant organizations to make every effort in advancing this technological development. In January 2022, China’s first pilot-scale production facility for synthetic lubricant mPAO, featuring independent intellectual property rights (with an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons), was successfully built. The mPAO produced by this facility boasts an extremely high viscosity index, a low pour point, and good shear stability, enabling it to meet the most demanding application conditions; it is used in important fields such as wind power, aerospace, navigation, military applications, and high-speed trains. To meet the market demand for mPAO, and building an industrial production facility with a capacity of 10,000 tons per year is highly necessary, building on the successful experience gained from the 3,000-ton-per-year pilot plant for mPAO. Project Overview
Project Name: Construction of a new 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant at the Maoming Branch
Owner: Maoming Branch of Sinopec Corporation
Construction Location: The site where the styrene plant is located within the Maoming Branch’s chemical plant complex; the area covered is 20,640 m2. (The styrene plant is planned to be demolished; procedures for demolition will be handled separately and are not included in this environmental impact assessment.)
Scale of Construction: A new 30,000-ton/year mPAO industrial plant will be built, with an operating flexibility range of 60%~110%.
Industry Category: C2659 – Other synthetic material manufacturing
Nature of Project: Expansion
Total Investment: 584.25 million yuan, of which 2.45 million yuan is allocated to environmental protection measures.
Construction Period: December 2025 to May 2027
Labor Force and Working Hours: The personnel required for this project will be provided through internal allocation by Maoming Petrochemical; the total number of employees required is 30. A four-shift, two-shift system is adopted, resulting in an annual operating time of 8,000 hours.