Zhangzhou PX Plant May Get Approval    

The para-xylene (PX) project planned in Fujian province, which has been delayed for 30 months, will now be moved to Zhangzhou of Fujian province.
   The Ministry of Environmental Protection on January 9th approved the environmental impact assessment of the 800 thousand t/a PX plant and its matching facilities proposed by Dragon Aromatics (Zhangzhou) Co., Ltd. and the second phase of the 1.5 million t/a purified terephthalic acid (PTA) project by Xianglu Petrochemical (Zhangzhou) Co., Ltd.
   The PX project was originally planned in Xiamen of Fujian province and won approval by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in July 2006. Construction was started in November 2006.
   The construction was halted five months later as environmental authority found that Xiamen's Haicang-Songyu area, where the PX project was located, had become a cluster for petrochemical projects while a residential area has also been planned in that area.
   The situation had made the PX project a high-risk one although the plant itself met environmental requirements. That project also faced strong oppositions from Xiamen’s residents. (CCR2006 No. 34, 2007 No. 16, 2008 No. 27)
   In May 2008, someone suggested the plant to be built in Changle, Fujian, but the proposal was soon opposed by local residents. (CCR2008 No. 21)
   The Zhangzhou PX plant is still pending final approval by NDRC.
   Dragon Aromatics (Zhangzhou) Co., Ltd. may increase the investment to RMB13.78 billion for the Zhangzhou 800 thousand t/a PX plant and supporting facilities, from the RMB10.8 billion it had planned to locate in Xiamen.