INEOS and Sinopec to Form JV to Build Phenol and Acetone Plant in China

INEOS Phenol and Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Company (Sinopec YPC) have entered into an agreement  to form a 50/50 joint venture company.
The joint venture is to be called INEOS YPC Phenol (Nanjing) Company Ltd. It will have a total investment of approximately $0.5bn (RMB3.15 bn) and is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.
INEOS YPC Phenol (Nanjing) Company Ltd will now build the largest Phenol and Acetone plant in China. The plant will be based on INEOS’s proprietary phenol technology and Sinopec’s proprietary cumene technology. It will benefit from Sinopec’s local feedstock and personnel advantages and will generate annual sales revenue of around $0.8 bn (RMB 4.9 bn). It will promote the upgrading of the chemical industry in Nanjing.
The annual capacity of the new plant will be at least 400,000 tons of phenol and 250,000 tons of acetone. It will also include 550,000 tons/year of cumene capacity. Together, with associated infrastructure, the Joint Venture will be the largest capital investment ever undertaken by INEOS in China and opens new opportunities for the company to meet the needs of this rapidly growing market.
The location of the plant in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province places it at the center of China’s largest market for both phenol and acetone. Once completed, the plant will supply phenol/acetone to customers including on-site consumers. This integration will strengthen and underpin the phenol/acetone derivatives industry in what is the biggest chemical market in Eastern China.
Following the completion of this project INEOS Phenol will further strengthen its leading position and will be the only company to have global manufacturing capability, with phenol and acetone production in Europe, the USA, and Asia, with sites in Germany, Belgium, and USA (Alabama). China is the world’s fastest growing market for phenol and acetone and Sinopec is China’s leading producer of phenol and acetone with three production sites in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin.
Phenol and acetone are important organic chemical intermediates. They are widely used in the industries of phenolic resin, caprolactam, bisphenol A, salicylic acid, fibers, plastic, synthetic rubber, pharmaceuticals, agrochemical, dyes, coatings, leather and epoxy resins.