MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP on July 3 celebrated the official start-up of the Phase 3 PTA plant of Zhuhai Chemical Co., enhancing its position in the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) market and its long-term commitment in China, as per The Financial marketplace.
BP Zhuhai, in which BP and Zhuhai Port Co. hold an 85% and 15% stake respectively, is the leading Sino-foreign joint venture producing and marketing PTA in China.
The completed Phase 3 plant, with a design production capacity of 1.25 million tonnes per year, is the world’s largest single train PTA unit, according to BP.
Erginbilgic, Chief Executive of BP Downstream, attended the opening ceremony. He said: "This is a milestone for both BP and BP Zhuhai. I’m very proud to witness its opening. At BP, we are committed to becoming the leading downstream business. The safe completion and successful commissioning of Phase 3 is an important part of our intent to keep our petrochemical business competitive globally."
Zhuhai Phase 3 is the first site to use BP’s most recent version of its PTA technology. Compared with conventional technology, Zhuhai 3 is highly energy efficient and delivers 95% lower solid waste, 65% lower greenhouse gas emissions and 75% lower water discharge, therefore bringing benefits both for society and the company.
Nick Elmslie, Chief Executive of BP’s Petrochemical Business, said: "Technology is one of the key drivers for BP’s success. And this latest unit employs BP’s most advanced PTA manufacturing technology that will enable us to deliver high-quality products to our customers with higher operational efficiency and environmental performance."
PTA is the essential raw material for making polyesters extensively used in producing textiles, packaging and film products.
In addition to PTA manufacturing and marketing, BP’s business activities in Guangdong also include oil product and lubricant retailing, gas terminal, pipelines and trading, aviation fuel supply and oil terminal service.
As MRC informed previously, in November 2015, BP announced its plans to invest over USD200 million to upgrade its PTA plants at Cooper River, South Carolina and Geel, Belgium. The investments will position these assets amongst the most efficient PTA manufacturing facilities in the world.
BP is one of the world's leading international oil and gas companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items.
MRC