Total Signs Deal to Develop Coal-based Petrochemical Complex in China

摘要

Total and China Power Investment Corporation (CPI; Beijing) have signed a letter of understanding to jointly develop a coal-based petrochemical complex in coal-rich Inner Mongolia. The complex is expected to come onstream after 2015 and cost an estimated european dollar 2 billion-european dollar 3 billion ($2.8 billion-$4.3 billion). CPI is one of China's largest energy companies producing electricity, coal and aluminum. Its coal production capacity is more than 50 million m.t./year. The companies plan to launch a feasibility study into the project, which is expected to have polyolefin capacity of 1 million m.t./year. Total will contribute its methanol-to-olefins (MTO) and the olefin cracking process (OCP) technology, which Total Petrochemicals tested extensively at its purpose-built semi-commercial plant at Feluy, Belgium. Total will also study solutions on how to capture and store CO2 using the know-how gained from the Total Group's CCS pilot project at Lacq, France. The MTO technology allows the production of propylene and ethylene from methanol, which can be obtained from various feedstocks such as natural gas, coal, or biomass. The technology, in combination with the OCP process, allows a very high yield of polyolefin production. "This project is part of Total's strategy of transforming fossil or renew- able resources into petroleum or petrochemical fractions, in particular by using gasification processes," says Fran?ois Cornélis, president/chemi- cals and vice chairman of the executive committee of Total.