BASF and Sinopec to build neopentylglycol plant in China

BASF-YPC Co Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between BASF and Sinopec, will build a new production plant for neopentylglycol (NPG) at its state-of-the-art Verbund site in Nanjing, China. The plant, with a total annual capacity of about 40,000 metric tonnes, is planned to go on stream at the end of 2015. The new NPG plant will benefit from backward integration into the Nanjing Verbund site, allowing high delivery reliability and maximising efficient use of energy and resources.
 
Neopentylglycol is a unique polyalcohol offering superior performance in many end-use applications such as coatings, textiles and construction due to its high chemical and thermal stability. It is mainly used as a building block in polyester resins for coatings, unsaturated polyester and alkyd resins, lubricants and plasticisers. As the global market leader, BASF has neopentylglycol production facilities in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Freeport, USA and Jilin, China.
 
“With this new plant, we are responding to our customers’ growing demand for high-quality neopentylglycol, especially in the Asia Pacific region, and at the same time strengthening our position as the global leading supplier of NPG. We have 55 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying neopentylglycol to our customers across a broad range of industries,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, President, BASF Intermediates division.
 
Wang Jingyi, Chairman and General Manager of Sinopec YPC and Chairman of BASF-YPC, said, “With this project, Sinopec and BASF are fully utilising their strengths regarding resources, technology, talent and management. Furthermore with this investment we are building on the core competitiveness of both partners.”