CBI member Shell announced that Shell Nanhai B.V. and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) to expand their existing 50:50 joint venture (JV) in Huizhou in Guangdong province.
Under the HOA, subject to final agreements and regulatory approvals, Shell is expected to join an ongoing CNOOC project to develop additional chemicals facilities next to the JV’s existing Nanhai petrochemical complex, which will be owned and operated by the existing JV.
The HOA includes the ongoing construction of an ethylene cracker and ethylene derivatives units, including a styrene monomer and propylene oxide (SMPO/PDO) plant. The new cracker will increase Nanhai’s ethylene production capacity by over one million tonnes per year, about double its current capacity.
As part of the HOA, Shell will apply its proprietary OMEGA and SMPO/POD technologies to produce ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol, increasing volumes and ranges of Nanhai’s high quality products, as well as enhance overall energy efficiency. CNOOC has already begun construction of the new petrochemical complex, and commercial production from the new facilities is expected in around two years’ time.
The expansion would increase the total ethylene production at the Nanhai petrochemical complex to around two million tonnes per year. The site, with a strong track record of reliable and safe operations, converts a variety of liquid feedstock into ethylene and derivative products, which are used in a wide range of consumer goods, including computers, plastic bottles, and washing liquids.
Comments