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CHAPTER THREE
Arab And World Developments
Table (3-14)
lists the world’s ten largest ethylene producers at the
beginning of 2012. The table also shows the number of sites and the
total of actual percentages for companies in joint ownership.
If all projects under construction remain on announced schedule,
2012 will see production capacity added at near-record pace: nearly
6.5 million tons/year. That pace will fall considerably in 2013, to a
bit less than 2 million tons/year, then it will begin to accelerate in
2014. The following are the most important projects planned and
under construction in the world regions.
1-1 Asia and Africa
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SINOPEC) and South
Korea’s SK Group signed a memorandum of understanding includes
a joint venture on the 800,000 tons/year ethylene project in Wuhan
city, central of China at a total cost of $3 billion.
InMay2012, SinopecandJapan’sMitsuiChemicals Inc. announced
the establishment of 50/50% joint venture called Shanghai Sinopec
Mitsui Elastomers Co. Ltd., with plan to build an ethylene-propylene-
diene terpolymer (EPT) production plant in Shanghai Chemical
Industry Park with production capacity of 75,000 tons/year. Total
investment of the project was estimated at about $314 million. It will
begin production in first quarter of 2014.
One of the important projects under way in Singapore is
ExxonMobil Chemical Co.’s second petrochemical complex on
Jurong Island. It is expected to start production in 2013.
The project includes a 1-million tons/year steam cracker,
two 650,000 tons/year polyethylene units, a 450,000 tons/year
