Tahe Refinery Expansion Program - Detailed Description
Kokel, Nicolas
10/16/2025 7:30 PM
Article Image
Tahe Refinery | Credit: thlh website banner
Project Overview
- Project Name: Sinopec Tahe Refining & Chemical Company Limited Refining and Chemical Integration Project
- Project Nature: Expansion and Modification (改扩建)
- Total Investment: RMB 29.987 billion (approximately USD 4.2 billion)
- Location: Chemical Industry Concentration Zone, Kuche Economic and Technological Development Zone, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang
- Environmental Approval: Received from Xinjiang Environmental Protection Department on June 20, 2025
- Groundbreaking Date: September 20, 2025
- Completion Schedule:
- Refining section and aromatics complex: June 2028
- Ethylene section: October 2029
Capacity Expansion
- Crude Oil Processing: Expansion from 5 million to 8.5 million tons per year
- Major New Production Capabilities:
- Ethylene: 800,000 tons/year
- Aromatics (including PX): 800,000 tons/year
- Polyethylene: 800,000 tons/year total (two units)
- Polypropylene: 450,000 tons/year
Total Project Scope Summary
- 16 new major production plants
- Upgrade of existing #1 and #2 crude distillation sequences
- Modification of 4 existing units
- New utilities, storage, environmental protection facilities, and offsite infrastructure
Production Assets
Existing Assets - Old Refinery Area (8 Plants)
The existing refinery has these units already in operation:
| Plant | Total Capacity |
Nr. of Units | Individual Capacity |
Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | (t/y) | - | (t/y) | - |
| Atmospheric Distillation | 5,000,000 | 2 | 1,500,000 + 3,500,000 |
Incorporate Sinopec proprietary optimization technologies |
| Vacuum Distillation | 500,000 | 1 | 500,000 | |
| Delayed Coker | 2,600,000 | 2+ | n.d | Sinopec proprietary |
| Gasoline/Diesel Mixed Hydrotreaters |
2,400,000 | 2 | n.d. | Sinopec Proprietary |
| Aviation Kerosene Hydrotreater |
n.d. | 1+ | n.d. | Sinopec Proprietary |
| Continuous Reformer | 150,000 | 1 | 150,000 | Sinopec Proprietary |
| Sulfur Recovery | 40,000 | 3 (est.) |
n.d. | Sinopec proprietary |
| Asphalt Production | 400,000 | 1 | 400,000 | Sinopec proprietary |
Existing Plants Modifications
Two existing hydrotreating units will be retrofitted:
- The #1 crude unit undergoes the most significant transformation, essentially being demolished and rebuilt at 3.3× larger capacity
- The existing #2 crude unit remains operational but receives modifications to integrate with the expanded facility
- Both existing hydrotreating units are repurposed: one shifts focus to aviation fuel while the other is upgraded for higher capacity gasoline/diesel production
- All other existing units (delayed coking, reforming, isomerization, asphalt, sulfur recovery) continue operating without major modifications during the expansion
| Existing Plant | Current Capacity | Modification Type | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 ADU | 1,500,000 t/y | Major expansion & upgrade | #3 CDU/VDU: 5,000,000 t/y |
| #2 ADU & VDU |
3,500,000 t/y / 500,000 t/y | Process optimization | Modified and optimized configuration |
| #1 Gasoline/Diesel Hydrotreater | Not disclosed |
Purpose change |
800,000 t/y Aviation Kerosene Hydrotreater |
| #2 Gasoline/Diesel Hydrotreater | Not disclosed |
Capacity upgrade | 1,600,000 t/y Mixed Gasoline/Diesel Hydrotreater |
New Assets - Existing Refinery Area
The following plants will be built within the existing refinery footprint:
| New Plant | Capacity | Technology |
|---|---|---|
| #3 Atm. and Vacuum Distillation | 5,000,000 t/y | Public domain |
| #3 Delayed Coker | 2,200,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary |
| Hydrocracker | 2,400,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary |
| PSA Unit | 120,000 Nm³/h | Licensed PSA technology |
| #4 Sulfur Recovery | 2 × 60,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary |
| #2 Aviation Fuel Hydrotreater | 1,000,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary |
| Ebullated Bed Resid Hydrotreater | 2 × 2,000,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary |
| #1 Hydrogen Production | 80,000 Nm³/h | Sinopec proprietary |
New Chemical Production Area (9 New Units)
A completely new factory area will be established:
| New Plant | Capacity | Technology |
|---|---|---|
| Ethylene Plant | 800,000 t/y | Sinopec ST CBL cracking ST LECT separation |
| Pyrolysis Gasoline Hydrotreater | 400,000 t/y | Sinopec ST pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation |
| Butadiene Extraction |
400,000 t/y | Sinopec ST acetonitrile extraction C4 hydrogenation |
| MTBE/Butene-1 Plant | 300,000 t/y (80,000/30,000) | Sinopec Technology Development Co. proprietary |
| #1 Polyethylene Plant | 400,000 t/y | Sinopec ST gas-phase PE technology |
| #2 Polyethylene Plant | 400,000 t/y | Sinopec ST gas-phase PE technology |
| Polypropylene Plant |
450,000 t/y | Sinopec ST 3rd generation loop reactor PP technology |
| Aromatics Complex |
800,000 t/y | Sinopec sulfolane extraction + transalkylation + aromatics suite (PX, isomerization, fractionation) |
| #2 Continuous Catalytic Reformer | 1,500,000 t/y | Sinopec proprietary (SLCR technology) |
Technology Provider
All process technologies are proprietary Sinopec technologies, developed by:
- Sinopec Technology Research Institute (RIPP)
- Sinopec Engineering (Group) Co.
- Sinopec Technology Development Company
The project represents Sinopec's "fully self-owned intellectual property, industry-leading green and low-carbon process technologies".
Annual Operating Hours
- Refining section, continuous reforming, aromatics complex: 8,400 hours/year
- Chemical section (ethylene and derivatives): 8,000 hours/year
Expected Economic Impact
Upon completion and commissioning (assuming USD 60/barrel crude oil):
- Additional annual output value: RMB 20.2 billion (USD 2.8 billion)
- Additional annual tax revenue: RMB 3.5 billion (USD 490 million)
- Job creation: Approximately 10,000 positions
- Product portfolio: Refined fuels, ethylene, paraxylene (PX), benzene, xylene, polyethylene, polypropylene
Green Energy Integration
The expansion project incorporates groundbreaking sustainability features:
- First Sinopec project to use 100% green electricity
- Signed 2.6 billion kWh/year green power supply agreement with Kuche Huadian
- Direct green electricity connection: 750 million kWh/year
- Full consumption of 20,000 tons/year green hydrogen from Kuche photovoltaic hydrogen project
Strategic Significance
The project is described as Sinopec's "bridgehead project for integrated industrial chain development in Xinjiang" and will transform Tahe into a fully integrated refining-petrochemical complex capable of producing high-value chemicals including ethylene and aromatics, supporting downstream textile, polymer processing, and chemical manufacturing industries in Western China.
This expansion will elevate Tahe Refinery from a basic fuel-focused refinery to a world-scale integrated refining and petrochemical complex, achieving Sinopec's strategic vision of "10 million tons refining + 1 million tons ethylene + aromatics" for the facility.
References
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