Source: Refining and Petrochemical Downstream Industry Network Date: 2026-01-08
On January 7, 2026, BASF's integrated site in Zhanjiang, South China, successfully started up its ethylene complex as scheduled. This is the world's first ethylene complex where the main compressor (electric-driven) is powered 100% by renewable energy.
As the core of the integrated site, the ethylene complex supplies important basic chemicals like ethylene and propylene to multiple units within the site. It's the starting point for many chemical value chains: long-chain hydrocarbons such as naphtha or butane are cracked using steam. This complex can produce 1 million tons of ethylene per year.
BASF Zhanjiang Integrated Site
The Zhanjiang Integrated Site project is BASF’s biggest single investment to date, with a total investment reaching 10 billion euros, and it will be built and operated independently by BASF. The core units at the BASF Zhanjiang Integrated Site include a steam cracker with an annual ethylene production capacity of 1 million tons, along with multiple downstream units. The products cover industries such as automotive, construction, high-speed rail, electronics and electrical appliances, food packaging, home and personal care, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals.
Additionally, the construction includes units with capacities of 660,000/830,000/200,000 tons per year for ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol/purified ethylene oxide, a 215,000-ton per year nonionic surfactant unit, a 500,000-ton per year polyethylene unit, 2×190,000-ton per year isobutylene unit, a 375,000-ton per year butyl acrylate unit, a 100,000-ton per year iso-octyl acrylate unit, a 500,000-ton per year butanol-1 octanol unit, a 50,000 standard cubic meter per hour syngas unit, an 80,000-ton per year neopentyl glycol unit, an 110,000-ton per year formaldehyde unit, a 40,000-ton per year citral unit, and supporting utilities and auxiliary facilities. The project uses naphtha, n-butane, and other raw materials to produce ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylene, cracker fuel oil, isobutylene, and various downstream products.
After successfully putting several downstream propylene units into operation recently, BASF has safely started up its ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, and polyethylene production units at the Zhanjiang integrated site. The Zhanjiang site will become BASF’s third-largest integrated production site globally, just behind Ludwigshafen and Antwerp. This site will also set an example for sustainable production in China and worldwide. For instance, it will use 100% renewable electricity. BASF’s Zhanjiang integrated site will mainly supply the Chinese market, which is the largest and fastest-growing chemical market in the world.
