Does anyone know the latest updates on Donghua Energy’s Phase 2 project in Zhangjiagang and its project in Ningbo?

Donghua Energy recently announced that the first phase of the Zhangjiagang Yangtze River Petrochemical project has reached full production capacity. Chen Jianzheng, the company’s secretary to the board, said that the first phase of this facility, which is capable of producing 660,000 to 700,000 tons of propylene per year and 400,000 tons of polypropylene per year, has been operating steadily since last month. The PDH unit (used for the production of propylene from propane) operates at a capacity of over 90%, while the PP unit operates at 100% capacity. It is expected that the Zhangjiagang project will contribute to the company’s profits in the fourth quarter. At present, the petrochemical projects that Donghua Energy has established in Zhangjiagang, Ningbo, and Caofeidian are all progressing steadily. The first phase of the projects in Ningbo and Zhangjiagang have the same production capacity; they are currently under construction and are expected to be completed in the first half of next year.

There is still one set of PDH units under construction, for the Ningbo project (Phase I), a propane dehydrogenation facility with an annual capacity of 660,000 tons; this project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2016. 　　In addition, the company plans a production capacity of 600,000 tons per year for the Zhangjiagang project (Phase 2) and 660,000 tons per year for the Ningbo project (Phase 2). The commissioning of multiple PDH units in the future will lead to a significant increase in the company’s profits.

With the development of shale gas in the United States, the production of ethylene from ethane has become very popular in China in recent years; many companies have installed PDH units, which has also driven the growth of the shipbuilding industry.