(Plastemart) -- Total and the Chinese energy group China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) have inked a memorandum of understanding to build a coal-based petrochemical plant in China.
Both companies will launch a feasibility study on a project of 1 mln tpa polyolefins production site, based on methanol produced from the gasification of coal. The investment for the plant, which is due to start production after 2015, is estimated at ┬2-3 billion.
The Methanol to Olefins (MTO) technology allows the production of propylene and ethylene from methanol, which can be obtained from various feedstocks such as natural gas, coal or biomass. In combination with the OCP process, it allows a very high yield of polyolefin production. "
CPI is one of the five biggest energy producers in China with a particularly strong position in coal mining and transformation of coal into energy.