China’s Sinopec Yizheng plans PTA, PET resin expansion

Chinese petrochemical producer Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fibre plans to strengthen its polyester business by adding a 3mn t/yr purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant and PET resin units with 1.5mn t/yr of total capacity at Yizheng in east China’s Jiangsu province.

It plans to start constructing the PTA plant in the middle of this year, targeting completion in two years. Yizheng Chemical Fibre reached an agreement with US firm Invista in January to use its P8++ process technology for the new PTA plant.

Additionally, Far Eastern Yihua Petrochemical — a joint venture between Taiwan’s Oriental Petrochemical and Yizheng Chemical Fibre — has revived plans to construct a 2mn t/yr PTA plant in Yizheng. Construction of the plant was initially planned to begin in 2010 but was suspended because of negative production margins and delays resulting from environmental impact assessment issues.

Yizheng Chemical Fibre plans to also add three 500,000 t/yr PET resin production lines in Yizheng to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing downstream polyester market. Construction of the first line is targeted to start in the fourth quarter.

Yizheng Chemical Fiber is the largest polyester production subsidiary of China’s state-controlled Sinopec, with an existing 900,000 t/yr of PTA and 2.4mn t/yr of polymerisation capacity, which covers polyester filament, staple fiber and PET resins.