BP and BASF ventures with Sinopec go on stream

06-Jul-05

Two major petrochemical complexes operated by Sinopec with foreign partners BP and BASF, construction for which was completed in December, have initiated commercial delivery of all their products over the past few weeks. SECCO is a US$2.7 billion JV in Shanghai between BP (50%), Sinopec (30%), and Sinopec subsidiary Shanghai Petrochemical (20). The complex houses a 900,000 tpa ethylene cracker, the largest in China, as well as downstream products like polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile. BASF-YPC, a US$2.9 billion joint venture between BASF (50%) and Sinopec(50%) houses a 600,000 tpa cracker at its core, along with units for aromatics, polyethylene, ethylene glycol, oxo alcohols, acrylic acid and esters, formic acid, propionic acid, methylamines, and dimethylformamide.