CNPC launches China's first full-chain green ethylene project with carbon capture and renewable power
manilatimes.netChina National Petroleum Corporation has started operations on the Tarim 1.2 MTA Phase II Ethylene Project in Xinjiang, calling it the country's first full-chain green and low-carbon ethylene facility. The project combines renewable energy from Tarim Oilfield's photovoltaic plants, carbon capture technology, and reuse of by-products to cut emissions by an estimated 1.37 million metric tons per year. The facility uses around 1 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually and features China's first domestically developed electric-driven system for the three main ethylene compressors, shifting from thermal to electric power. It also uses an integrated carbon capture system to recover low-concentration CO2 from cracking furnace flue gas, which is then reused along with recovered hydrogen in production to create a closed-loop low-carbon chain involving blue hydrogen, blue ammonia, and lower-carbon fertilizer. The project is 99 percent localized, with 10 of 11 major production units using homegrown technologies. It aims to fill gaps in high-end polyolefins and synthetic rubber production in southern Xinjiang and support downstream industrial clusters worth billions of yuan.