BASF-YPC Project Starts Commercial Production



On June 28, BASF-YPC Co., Ltd., a joint venture between BASF (50%) and SINOPEC (50%), announced that BASF-YPC integrated project has successfully started commercial production in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.       The 220-hectare site will produce 1.7 million t/a high-quality chemicals and polymers for the rapidly growing Chinese petrochemical market, including 600 000 t/a ethylene, 300 000 t/a monoethylene glycol (MEG), 160 000 t/a acrylic acid and 215 000 t/a acrylates, 250 000 t/a butyl alcohol and octanol, 400 000 t/a polyethylene, 50 000 t/a formic acid, 36 000 t/a methyl amines, 40 000 dimethyl formamide (DMF), 30 000 t/a propionic acid. A total investment has been US$2.9 billion in the construction of this new integrated project which is the largest single investment in BASF's 140-year history.      Nanjing is approximately 400 km away from Shanghai. 　　* 1994 SINOPEC and BASF began to negotiate about BASF-YPC integrated project.     * June 2000 documents to officially form the Nanjing Yangzi-BASF Integrated Petrochemical Site (IPS) project were signed in Berlin.    * September 2001 the Joint Venture, BASF-YPC Company Limited was formed.     * September 28, 2001 BASF-YPC integrated project startup.    * July 30, 2002 the core units of Yangzi-BASF integration project started construction.     * December 22, 2004 BASF-YPC Co. Ltd. produced its first chemical product: methyl acrylate.      * May 5, 2005 the 600 000 t/a ethylene unit was completed.     * June 28, 2005 BASF-YPC integrated project started commercial production.