The construction site of Koksan (Nantong) New Materials in Yangkou Port. [Photo/WeChat account: rudongfb]

The construction site of Koksan (Nantong) New Materials in Yangkou Port Economic Development Zone is bustling with activity. The project, a green polyester production facility with an annual output of 2.2 million metric tons and a total investment of $710 million, has made rapid progress since initial talks began on June 28, 2024. The agreement was signed on July 31, and the pile foundation work is already underway.

Zhang Qiang, executive deputy general manager of the company, praised the collaborative efforts of the Rudong county government and the development zone's administrative committee. Within just over six months, Koksan completed company registration, team formation, project filing, and the commencement of pile foundation work.

The construction site of Koksan (Nantong) New Materials in Yangkou Port. [Photo/WeChat account: rudongfb]

The project's first phase is expected to be completed and put into production by June next year. Once fully operational, the project is set to generate an annual output value of 2.8 billion yuan ($386.51 million), significantly contributing to the expansion and upgrading of the new materials industry in Rudong.

The project will be developed in five phases. The first phase is set to include two production lines with an annual output of 200,000 tons of bottle-grade polyester chips. Once operational, the plant is set to require approximately 1,000 tons of PTA daily. Jiangsu Jiatong Energy, located just across the street from the project, will be Koksan's PTA supplier, said Zhang.

Koksan Group, based in Turkiye, primarily produces bottle-grade polyester chips, bottle blanks, bottle caps, and other packaging materials, serving over 100 countries in North Africa, the Middle East, West Asia, and Europe. Jiatong Energy is one of its suppliers. Due to business development needs and China's advantages in the global industrial chain, the group invested in a production base in China. "An important reason for selecting Yangkou Port was its proximity to Jiatong Energy's PTA supply," said Zhang.

The project's products are set to primarily be supplied internally to the group, so accessibility to export ports was a key consideration during the site selection stage. "Yangkou Port is a national Class I open port, and in the future, our finished products are set to be transported to Turkiye via the Jinniu Dock, which is currently under construction and located about 5 kilometers from the project," Zhang noted.