US$1.5 bln coal-to-chemical complex underway in China

International project management and services company Amec has been appointed by the Ningxia Coal Industry Group (NCG) as the contractor for the development of a US$1.5 billion coal-to-chemical production complex in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. The facility is to produce 540, 00 tpa of polypropylene, using coal as the feedstock, which will come from large reserves in the Ningxia area. Work on the new facility is to commence in February this year and estimated to be completed in early 2009. The complex will include a coal gasifier plant, a methanol and methanol-to-propylene unit, and a polypropylene unit.