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BP has been operating in China since the early 1970s. With an accumulated investment of current operations around US$ 4.5 billion by the end of March 2015
BP has marked the official start-up of the Phase 3 PTA plant of Zhuhai Chemical Co., enhancing, the company said, “its position in the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) market and its long-term commitment in China”.
BP Zhuhai, in which BP and Zhuhai Port Co. hold an 85 percent and 15 percent 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.
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.”
Commenting on the investment in Zhuhai, Edward Yang, president of BP China, said: “BP Zhuhai is a good example of our long-term commitment in Guangdong province, which accounts for a large proportion of our investment in China. We look forward to playing a greater and more active role in the progression of the ‘Green Guangdong Agenda’ by providing our significant experience and expertise in clean energy and energy efficiency.”
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 percent lower solid waste, 65 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions and 75 percent 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.
