Sinopec Guangdong to embark upon expansion

19-Jul-07

China's Sinopec Group is to embark upon a US$278 mln (RM959 mln) expansion at Dongxing refinery located in south China to produce high quality fuels and process heavier crudes. The plant will build five units including a 1.2 million tpa residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) and a 400,000 tpa gasoline hydrotreating facility. The plant's crude refining capacity will however remain the same at 100,000 bpd. Under the expansion, Dongxing will also add a 140,000 tpa facility to produce polypropylene. Expansion, scheduled to commence in September, will last about 16 months and will add secondary facilities to meet rising fuel standards and cut costs by shifting to heavier or higher-sulphur crudes. The new units would allow the plant to produce fuels with EURO III standards, the official said.