In the morning of 26 June 2006, Tianjin Binhai New Area saw the opening of a ceremony in celebration of the launch of the one million tpa ethylene and associated facilities project, which marked that this world-class integrated project of ethylene refining and petrochemical production has been jumpstarted.

This Tianjin-based one million tpa ethylene and associated facilities project comprises three parts, which are respectively ethylene project, revamping of refinery and thermal power generation facilities. Once this project is completed in 2009, Sinopec Tianjin Company will then see its aggregate ethylene production capacity reach 1.2 million tpa, and its oil refining and comprehensive processing capacity account for 12.5 million tpa, thus becoming one of the country?s 10-million-tonnage oil refining bases and also one of China?s 1-million-tonnage integrated ethylene production bases. By then, the company will be able to produce 12 million tpa of petroleum, petrochemical and chemical fiber products of superior quality and higher grades, which are available in a wide variety.

This project will be constructed in adherence to its guiding principles of ?regionalization, world scale, integration, specialization?, while featuring such advantages as uniformly designed & deployed supporting facilities, compact and rational layout, streamlined technological flow, mutual supply of materials intramurally, occupancy of limited land resources, a controlled sum of investments and reduced costs, etc. Besides, this project meets the requirements under a scientific development principle and conforms to the creed of sustainable growth of economy; in practices, all those land sections acquired newly for this project have been alkaline wastelands; and most of the water additionally required by this project has been desalted seawater and recycled intermediate water. In addition, this project has selected advanced pollution-free production techniques and highly efficient equipment items from both home and abroad, and taken stronger measures in sorting out and disposing of its generated pollutants as well as making integrative use of such pollutants, in an aim to become an exemplary project which is energy saving, eco-conscious and environment friendly, too. On top of that, as a pilot player in producing ethylene based on domestic production techniques, this project will also exert a positive influence for the sakes of disseminating more giant-sized, domestically manufactured ethylene facilities, helping ethylene facilities manufacturers upgrade their technologies, as well as giving a boost to the development of those downstream sectors of the petrochemical industry.

The petrochemical industry, which is characterized by the ethylene sector, is a significant pillar of national economy. As ethylene is a knockout product and fundamental raw material in the petrochemical industry, its production output has now become an indicator standing for the degree of development of a country?s petrochemical industry. The launch of Tianjin one million tpa ethylene and associated facilities project is of great significance for adjusting the structure of China?s petro-chemical industry, reinforcing the international competitiveness of China?s petrochemical industry, and promoting the economic growth in the Pan-Bohai Sea area. As competent authorities in Tianjin Municipality and Sinopec Corp. have both remarked, hard efforts shall be made to enable this project to become the most competitive petrochemical player, and contribute heavily into the growth of national economy, by means of following out the creed of scientific development and bring into full play the advantages of all parties.