BASF-YPC's Cracker to Shut down for Maintenance in April and May 2010      
By Tanya Tian      

BASF-YPC Company Limited will shut down its steam cracker for a mandatory maintenance turnaround in April and May 2010, and during this time continue work for its capacity expansion from 600 000 t/a to 740 000 t/a of ethylene. BASF released on January 11th.
   BASF-YPC's nine existing downstream plants will also be shut down for maintenance during parts of this period. Contractual obligations to customers during this period will be adjusted according to the actual maintenance period of each plant.   
   The cracker capacity expansion is a major component of a US$1.4 billion investment project by BASF and Sinopec Corp. In the project, the capacity of the steam cracker will be expanded, and 10 new chemical plants will be constructed in addition to the expansion of three existing plants. A joint feasibility study report for the expansion was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in July 2009, and the project broke ground in September 2009.
   BASF-YPC is a 50-50 joint venture between BASF and Sinopec Corp., founded in 2000, with a total investment of US$2.9 billion in the first phase. The groundbreaking for the site, located in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, took place on September 28th, 2001. BASF-YPC successfully started commercial production at a steam cracker as well as nine downstream plants in June 2005. These plants are interconnected in order to use products, by-products and energy in the most efficient way, to save cost and minimize environmental impact. The site produces high-quality chemicals and polymers for the rapidly growing Chinese market. The site also has a gas-fired power plant and an international port on a tributary of the Yangtze River to ensure optimum energy supply and logistics.