Expansions: Sinopec’s Ningbo Zhenhai opts for ECI’s HPPE tech for new Chinese plant; BASF invests in new semiconductor-grade sulphuric acid plant in Ludwigshafen

UK-based licensor for the polymers industry ECI Group has been awarded a contract by Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company Limited (NZRCC) for a 200 kilotonnes/year EVA/LDPE plant using ECI Group’s proprietary hybrid reactor technology. This award marks a total of 1 million tonnes of nameplate capacity licensed by ECI Group since it began licensing its technology in 2021.

NZRCC is a key refining and chemical subsidiary of Chinese petchem firm Sinopec in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The EVA/LDPE plant will form part of a large ethylene and downstream facility being developed by NZRCC in Ningbo’s Zhenhai District. ECI Group’s technology will enable the plant to produce 200,000 tonnes/year of LDPE, EVA, and other high-value copolymer products, with the ability for future expansion of product capability.

“It is with great pride that we announce our client NZRCC has selected ECI Group’s technology for their project,” said Joaquin Flores, ECI Group’s President/CEO. “This award comes the same week that we launch ECI Group’s office in Shanghai and reinforces our position as technology of choice for HPPE plants. We look forward to successfully delivering this project for NZRCC and helping them to deliver their highly competitive polymer production facility.”

Abhi Shivraj, ECI Group’s Commercial Director, said, “This is a landmark award for ECI Group, crossing one million tonnes of nameplate LDPE/EVA capacity licensed using ECI Group’s autoclave and hybrid technologies. Our offering represents a modern approach to high-pressure polyethylene plant design, providing the best combination of flexibility and reliability for multiple products and capacities.”

ECI Group’s hybrid reactor technology offers a wide range of high-pressure polyethylene products. In the four years since 2021, ECI Group has licensed plant capacities of 50 kta, 100 kta, 150 kta and 200 kta, all using ECI Group’s standardised design approach.

In other news, German chemical firm BASF will expand its production capacity for semiconductor-grade sulphuric acid (H2SO4), which is an essential ultra-pure chemical. The new production facility at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany will feature purity capabilities to serve growing demand for advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing across Europe. Operations are expected to start by 2027, coinciding with the capacity expansion of key customers. The BASF investment will be in a high double-digit million-euro range.

With several new chip manufacturing plants being constructed or expanded in Europe, there is an increasingly strong demand for high-quality and high-purity semiconductor-grade chemicals, such as sulphuric acid. This need has been accelerated by a close cooperation partner of BASF, who is currently building a new chip production plant in Europe.

These chips are used in automotive, mobile communications and AI chip applications. BASF is investing in the semiconductor chemical value chain based on mutual long-term customer-supplier commitments with its strategic partners.

Located at the heart of BASF’s integrated chemical production site in Ludwigshafen, and in proximity to key customer operations allows BASF to better meet their needs, providing prompt support and minimising lead times, it adds.

BASF offers a comprehensive portfolio of materials primarily used in semiconductor production processes, including cleaning, etching, metal deposition, and chemical mechanical planarisation.

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