Liaoning Bora Petrochemical (Panjin, Liaoning / China) has now acquired three technology licences from LyondellBasell (Houston, Texas / USA; www.lyondellbasell.com) for the production of polyolefins. The aim is to build two PP lines with a total annual capacity of 600,000 t – one based on the "Spherizone" process technology and the other on the "Spheripol Technology" – as well as a HDPE line with a capacity of 350,000 t/y using the "Hostalen" ACP process. The planned facilities are part of a big refinery and petrochemical complex currently under construction at the Panjin site in the north-east of the country. The first facilities are scheduled to go on stream in 2021/2022.

The new complex will be operated as a joint venture by the state-owned companies China North Industries Group (Norinco, Beijing / China; www.norincogroup.com.cn) and Saudi Aramco (Dhahran / Saudi Arabia; www.saudiaramco.com) as part of the Chinese "Belt and Road" initiative. The foundation stone for the Saudi Aramco-Norinco "Refining, Petrochemical and Retail Project" was laid in May 2017 and the first plants are expected to go on stream in 2021. The refinery aims to have a throughput of 300,000 Barrels per day, corresponding to around 15m t of oil a year.

According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), a large cracker with a capacity of 1m t/y of ethylene and propylene plants with a capacity of more than 1.6m t/y are planned at the Panjin petrochemicals site . Major production facilities for butadiene, PTA, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, styrene, phenol/acetone, acrylonitrile and MMA will follow. In the polymers segment, the company will also produce ABS and EVA, with a capacity of 200,000 t/y for each, in addition to the now-licensed polyolefins.

At the same site, a refinery is already operating with a throughput of around 7m t/y of oil, plus cracker capacities for a total of 630,000 t/y of ethylene, and production facilities for ABS, PE, PP, PVC, PS and EPS.