Shell/CNOOC start up 2nd ethylene cracker in China

Dutch firm Shell’s subsidiary Shell Nanhai BV and China National Offshore Oil Corp’s 50-50 joint venture, CNOOC & Shell Petrochemicals

(CSPC), has commissioned a second ethylene cracker at its existing petrochemical complex in the Daya Bay Economic & Technological Development Zone, Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.

The 1.2 million tonnes/year ethylene cracker has more than doubled the production capacity of the petrochemical complex.

Shell also expects to also start up a styrene monomer and propylene oxide (SM/PO) plant at the site soon, the largest of its kind in China.

These units were constructed by CNOOC and are owned and operated by CSPC.

The new complex utilises Shell’s proprietary Omega, SMPO and polyols technologies to produce ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, propylene oxide and high-quality polyols, as well as advanced technologies for polyolefins, phenol and oxo-alcohols production, he said.

It is the first time that Shell’s Omega and advanced polyols technologies have been applied in China.

The complex benefits from deep integration with the adjacent CNOOC refineries. The expansion enables further monetisation of advantaged feedstock from nearby CNOOC refineries, responding to the anticipated strong Chinese domestic demand in the long term.

Shell has onshore and offshore gas and oil development projects in partnership with PetroChina and CNOOC, both within and outside China, which help to fuel the country’s fast-growing economy. Shell’s downstream business in China now consists of 11 joint ventures and eight wholly-owned companies.

Founded in 1982, CNOOC is now the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China and its business covers more than 40 countries and regions worldwide.