MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fluor has completed a world-scale isononanol (INA) plant for BASF and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) in the Maoming Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone of Maoming, China, the global contractor announced on Thursday.
The plant, which is a first-of-its-kind in China, was recently inaugurated by the owners and will serve the growing demand for next-generation plasticizers.
Fluor applied its integrated project execution experience in China, including its knowledge of working with joint ventures involving multi-national foreign investors and Chinese national oil companies, to complete the project safely and on schedule.
"Completion of the INA plant demonstrates true excellence in execution backed by world-class safety and a focus on quality," said Ken Choudhary, Fluor’s president of energy and chemicals for the Asia-Pacific region. "This project is also a testament to our partnership with BASF and Sinopec which allowed us to complete the facility on time and on budget."The project is a continuation of the long-standing partnership between Fluor, BASF and Sinopec, and builds upon the successful completion of various projects at the Verbund site in Nanjing, China, according to company officials.
"This project is a great example of our One Fluor approach,” said Richard Meserole, Fluor’s vice president of construction. “We used the breadth of Fluor’s tools and knowledge to provide solutions to the project. Most importantly, we delivered the project safely and in a quality manner that met the business needs of our client.
As MRC informed previously, in September 2015, BASF began its first production of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) at its wholly-owned site in Chongqing, China. MDI is an important component for polyurethanes – an extremely versatile plastics material that contributes towards improved insulation, provides lighter materials for cars, and helps save energy in buildings. MDI production will support these key industries in China’s western areas.
BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of over EUR74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year.
Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies in China. Its principal operations include the exploration and production, pipeline transportation and sale of petroleum and natural gas; the sale, storage and transportation of petroleum products, petrochemical products, coal chemical products, synthetic fibre, fertiliser and other chemical products; the import and export, including an import and export agency business, of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemical and chemical products, and other commodities and technologies; and research, development and application of technologies and information.
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