Green light for massive BASF project in China

The JV partners are to jointly invest around $1.4 billion in technologies to produce downstream speciality chemicals for the Chinese market. The investment includes the expansion of the existing steam cracker, building 10 new chemical plants, and expanding three existing plants. (Further details below)

Engineering work for the expansion is in full swing, with the routine cracker turnaround scheduled for 2010 will be used to tie in the expansion modules and integrate the production processes. The startup will take place in a staggered approach and the expansion will be operational from 2011 onwards.

Meanwhile, Yangzi-BASF Styrenics Co., Ltd. (YBS), another joint venture in Nanjing between the two partners, is being merged into BYC to further increase synergies in Nanjing operations. YBS produces styrene monomer, polystyrene and expandable polystyrene.

Approved scope of BYC project

• The expansion of the existing steam cracker to a total of 740,000 metric tons per year of ethylene
• The development of an integrated ethylene oxide (EO) derivatives value chain, including:
  • - The expansion of the existing EO plant and the construction of a new EO purification unit
  • - The construction of EO derivatives plants, including a new butyl glycol ether plant, a new non-ionic surfactants plant, and a new amines complex for the production of ethanolamines, ethyleneamines and dimethylethanolamine, and the construction of a new DMA3 plant
• The extension of the acrylics value chain with the construction of a new super-absorbent polymer (SAP) plant
• The expansion of the existing propionic acid and aldehyde plants
• The expansion of the existing oxo-C4 plant
• The development of an integrated C4 complex, including a butadiene extraction plant, a 2-propylheptanol plant, an isobutene extraction plant, and a plant for highly reactive polyisobutene.