Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical project in Zhanjiang. [Photo by Zhang Fengfeng/Zhanjiang Daily]

The Zhanjiang-based Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical project, currently the largest joint venture refining and petrochemical project in China, was put into operation on June 16.

The project was jointly invested by Sinopec Group and Kuwait National Petroleum Co, with a total investment of 44 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) in the first phase of its construction. An oil refining project with a yearly capacity of 10 million metric tons, an ethylene project with a yearly output of 800,000 tons, and other related supporting projects, have also been developed.

It is estimated that the refinery and petrochemical project, which mainly produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and high-end chemical products, will have annual sales revenue of more than 60 billion yuan, and total profits and taxes of over 26 billion yuan.

It will also drive the development of the downstream petrochemical industrial chain, boost the construction of a world-class petrochemical base in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to further enhance the area's competitiveness, as well as contribute to the economic development of Zhanjiang, the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, and the southwestern part of China.

The oil tanker New Renown docks at the crude oil terminal of the Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical project on May 8. [Photo by Zhang Fengfeng and Liu Jicheng/Zhanjiang Daily]

Construction on the project used the integrated project management team (IPMT) model, with dozens of enterprises nationwide taking part, such as Sinopec Luoyang (Guangzhou) Engineering Co Ltd based in Henan province, Sinopec Tenth Construction Co Ltd in Shandong province, and China Nuclear Industry Zhongyuan Construction Co Ltd from Beijing.

"Homemade" refining and production equipment has been widely used in the project, with more than 95 percent of the project's equipment domestically developed.

The domestically-developed polypropylene extruder with a yearly capacity of 350,000 metric tons underwent a successful trial operation on June 9, making a breakthrough in terms of the key technologies of China's large extrusion granulation system.

The project also put great emphasis on green development. According to Wu Xiwei, executive director of the project, more than 3.69 billion yuan has been put into the projects' environmental protection to make it a benchmark for green development and the low-carbon and circular economy.

Facilities have been set up to recycle low-temperature waste heat for refrigeration. The repeated utilization factor of water of the project can reach 98.52 percent, while the wastewater reuse rate is 76.2 percent.