CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals (CSPC; www.cnoocshell.com) has started up its new propylene oxide/styrene monomer (SM/PO) and polyols plants at its petrochemicals complex in Huizhou, Guangdong / China. The SM/PO unit is the largest of its type in China, with a capacity to produce 630,000 t/y of SM and 300,000 t/y of PO, said CSPC, which is a 50:50 JV between China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC, Beijing / China; www.cnooc.com.cn) and Shell Petrochemicals (London / UK; www.shell.com). PO output is processed into polyols at three plants with a combined 600,000 t/y capacity.

The SM/PO and polyols units are based on Shell technologies. The SM/PO unit is the second of its kind at the CSPC complex, while the polyols plants use Shell’s advanced polyols technologies for the first time in China. CSPC said the polyols plants will supply customers with a range of the material, including performance products for specialised uses such as coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers, and foams used in bedding, furniture and cars.

Thomas Casparie, VP for Chemicals at Shell, said, “This milestone supports Shell’s strategy to grow in performance chemicals, moving closer to the end customer. In starting these units up, our CSPC joint venture with CNOOC is improving the supply of essential chemicals to customers in China.”

The start-up of the new units completes the ‘phase two’ expansion of the CSPC complex and follows the commissioning of a second ethylene cracker in 2018 (see Plasteurope.com of 18.05.2018). CSPC said the complex now supplies customers with up to 6m t/y of intermediate and performance chemicals, including polyols, ethylene glycol, polyethylene and polypropylene.

CSPC plans to build a third cracker and derivatives plants at the site (see Plasteurope.com of 10.06.2020). Shell and CNOOC also announced an MoU in 2020 to explore a PC plant at the site using Shell’s diphenyl carbonate process technology.