BASF and SINOPEC submit feasibility study for $900-million expansion of Nanjing site

19 March 2008

BASF and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corp) today    submitted the technical and commercial feasibility study to the Chinese government for the approval of the planned $900-million expansion of their joint chemical Verbund site in Nanjing.

The site is operated by the joint venture BASF-YPC Co. Ltd. (BYC).

The completion of the study was formalised by Wang Tianpu, president of China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) and Dr Martin Brudermller, member of the board of executive directors of BASF SE, at a signing ceremony in Beijing today.

The facility expansion includes:
Expansion of the steam cracker from 600,000 to around 750,000 metric tons of ethylene per year.

Expansion of the ethylene oxide (EO) plant and development of EO derivatives to strengthen the ethylene value chain by producing non-ionic surfactants for detergents and the solvent butylglycol ether and new projects for the production of ethanolamines and ethyleneamines for agrochemicals and dimethylamine (DMA-3) for flocculants.

Development of the C4 value chain including C4 specialties butadiene and isobutene as chemical raw materials, 2-propylheptanol for a new-generation plasticizer and polyisobutene derivatives as fuel and lubricant additives.