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Sinopec-SK completed expansion of ethylene facility | Credit: SKinno News - Apri 4, 2024 

The Sinopec-SK Wuhan complex is a large-scale integrated refining and petrochemical facility located in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Commercial operations commenced in 2013 following the acquisition and integration of Sinopec’s Wuhan refinery and the construction of a major ethylene plant. The site is operated under Sinopec-SK Wuhan Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and employs around 3,000 personnel, producing approximately 3 million tons of various chemical products annually.

Refinery and Petrochemical Operations

The complex features a refinery with a crude distillation capacity of 170,000 barrels per day, including major units for coking (44,000 b/d), catalytic cracking (20,000 b/d), hydrocracking (36,000 b/d), reforming (6,000 b/d), hydrotreating (66,000 b/d), and alkylation (9,000 b/d). The refinery produces a diverse slate of products such as gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, light diesel, naphtha, napthenic acid, petroleum coke, and MTBE—totaling 25 different product streams.

Core Petrochemical Units and Capacities

Key to the complex is its ethylene production capability. The integrated ethylene cracker started with a nameplate capacity of 800,000 tons/year, later expanded and debottlenecked to reach 1.1 million tons/year by 2020, along with propylene output rising to 550,000 tons/year. Downstream units include:​

• Polyethylene (HDPE and LLDPE) with combined capacities of 600,000 tons/year (300,000 t/y each for HDPE and LLDPE)​
• Polypropylene units totaling 600,000 tons/year (200,000 t/y for No.1 PP and 400,000 t/y for No.2 PP)​
• Ethylene glycol and ethylene oxide are also produced, along with a butadiene plant (60,000 t/y)

Utilities and Power Generation

The site includes a captive coal-fired power plant, the Wuhan Ethylene power station, with three subcritical units totaling 240 MW, providing both steam and electricity for the chemicals complex.​

Location and Transport

The Wuhan complex occupies hundreds of hectares in both the QingShan and Hongshan districts of Wuhan, strategically located adjacent to the Yangtze River, which facilitates efficient waterborne and land transportation for raw materials and finished products.​

References

1. Argus Media: SK-Sinopec partnership to buy China's Wuhan refinery (2019-04-30)​
2. K-Online: CHINA: Wuhan ethylene plant in full operation​ (2013-08.28)
3. Offshore-Technology: Petrochemicals complex profile: Sinopec-SK Wuhan (2024-08-20)​
4. ppPLUS: Message: Wuhan refinery integrated with Sinopec-SK (2024-10-16)​
5. Offshore-Technology: Wuhan Refinery, China (2021-07-27)​
6. Global Energy Monitor: Wuhan Ethylene power station (2025-07-22)​
7. Polymerupdate: Sinopec-SK Wuhan to start maintenance at No.1 PP unit​ (2024-10-03)
8. Polymerupdate: Sinopec-SK Wuhan starts maintenance at LLDPE unit​ (2025-09-23)
9. Argus Media: China’s Sinopec SK Wuhan starts cracker turnaround (2020-10-16)