Construction of the alkane resources comprehensive utilization project in Maoming is currently in full swing.

The project boasts a total investment of 100 billion yuan ($15.48 billion) by Oriental Energy, and is the largest private industrial project that Maoming has ever introduced. It will be completed in three phases, the first of which will be implemented in two stages.

Aerial view of the construction site of the alkane resources comprehensive utilization project in Maoming. [Photo/WeChat account: longyanzb]

The first stage of the first phase of the project started its construction in Binhai New Area in March 2020, and is expected to be completed and put into operation in the first half of next year.

Its contents includes two propane dehydrogenation (PDH) units of 600,000 metric tons a year, three polypropylene units of 400,000 tons a year, and a synthetic ammonia unit of 200,000 tons a year, as well as wharfs, a pipe gallery, a tank area, and other supporting facilities.

The second stage of the first phase of the project includes construction of two PDH units of one million tons a year, four polypropylene units of 500,000 tons a year, and a unit of one million tons a year to produce ethylene from ethane pyrolysis. This is scheduled to be put into production in June 2025.

According to Han Wei, the construction superintendent of the project, the foundation construction of the No 1 and No 2 propane tanks has been completed, as has the No 1 butane tank. The casting of mass concrete pile caps of the No 1 propane tank was also finished.