Total to develop coal-based PetChem complex in China

摘要

Total and China Power Investment Corp. (CPI; Beijing) have signed an agreement to develop jointly a coal-based petrochemical complex in Inner Mongolia, a coal-rich autonomous region of China. The complex is expected to be onstream after 2015 and cost an estimated european dollar 2 billion-european dollar 3 billion ($2.8 billion-$4.2 billion). CPI is one of China’s largest energy companies producing electricity and coal, as well as aluminum. Its coal-production capacity is more than 50 million m.t./year. The companies plan to launch a feasibility study for the coal-to-chemicals complex, which is expected to have polyolefin capacity of 1 million m.t./year. Total will contribute its methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology and olefin cracking process (OCP) technology, which the company’s Total Petrochemicals subsidiary has tested extensively at a purpose-built, semi-commercial plant at Feluy, Belgium. Total will also study possible solutions for capturing and storing carbon dioxide using know-how gained from a Total group carbon capture and storage pilot project at Lacq, France. Total Petrochemicals’ MTO technology was co-developed with UOP and Hydro. It allows the production of propylene and ethylene from methanol, which can be obtained from a variety of feedstocks such as natural gas or biomass, as well as coal. The technology, in combination with the OCP process, allows a very high yield of olefins for polyolefin production. The OCP technology was developed by Total and UOP. Total announced earlier this year that it would seek partners in coal- or gas-rich countries for commercial-scale MTO-OCP projects. The proposed investment with CPI “is part of Total’s strategy of transforming fossil or renewable resources into petroleum or petrochemical fractions, in particular by using gasification processes,” says Francois Cornelis, president/chemicals and vice chairman of the executive committee at Total.