The ambitious PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical Integration Transformation and Upgrading Project is on the cusp of a major milestone, with its overall construction exceeding 95% completion and the project slated for full completion by the end of June 2025.

The project recently achieved a critical step on May 16 with the successful delivery of the first batch of start-up materials – 2,500 tons of methylcyclohexane – to the plant area. This vital raw material is designated for the 2 million tons/year diesel adsorption separation unit, a cornerstone of the project's innovative "oil reduction and chemical increase" strategy. This unit, leveraging "molecular engineering" concepts, will meticulously separate high-purity diesel fractions, supplying adsorbed non-aromatic hydrocarbons to the ethylene cracking unit and utilizing heavy aromatic hydrocarbons to boost the production of high-value products like naphtha and propylene.

The project's overarching goal is to fundamentally transform Guangxi Petrochemical from a "fuel-type" enterprise to one focused on "chemical products and organic materials." This shift will significantly enhance the company's core competitiveness and contribute to a more diversified and value-added industrial output for the region.

Initiated with its environmental impact report accepted for public notice on June 24, 2022, the project involves the addition of a new 1.2 million tons/year ethylene and downstream unit, building upon Guangxi Petrochemical's existing 10 million tons/year crude oil processing capacity. The refining block, while maintaining its overall processing flow, will see the construction of a 2 million tons/year diesel adsorption dearomatization unit and a 400,000 tons/year carbon two recovery unit. This will lead to a reduction in gasoline and diesel output, with a substantial increase in high-quality raw materials supplied to the new ethylene unit.

The chemical block is set for a massive expansion, with 14 new main units planned. These include a 1.2 million tons/year ethylene unit, various polyethylene and polypropylene units (FDPE, HDPE, EVA, PP), and facilities for butadiene extraction, MTBE/butene-1, aromatics extraction, hexene-1, propylene oxide/styrene (PO/SM), polystyrene (PS), and solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR/SBS). These additions will enable the production of a wide array of high-value chemical products, processing diverse cracking raw materials from the refining block. Complementing these production units, comprehensive environmental protection measures, storage and transportation systems, and public works are being newly built, expanded, or optimized across the entire plant.

With construction moving at a brisk pace and the project entering the "three checks and four determinations" and pre-commissioning phases, the next critical step is full completion by the end of June, followed by the commencement of production in October. This landmark project is poised to be a powerful catalyst for Guangxi's economic growth, playing a vital role in the construction of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor and solidifying the region's position as a significant player in the national petrochemical industry.