BASF has completed the scheduled commissioning of a steam cracker at its new Zhanjiang Verbund site in South China. Notably, this facility is the first in the world to power its main compressors entirely with 100% renewable energy through electric drives (eDrives).

As the heart of the Verbund, the steam cracker supplies important basic chemicals such as ethylene and propylene to multiple plants on site. It is the starting point for many chemical value chains: long chain hydrocarbons such as naphtha or butane are cracked with the help of steam. The ethylene capacity amounts to one million metric tons per year.

“This important milestone at our Zhanjiang Verbund site significantly strengthens BASF’s diversified value chains in China and positions us well to support customers across a wide range of industries,” said Dr. Stephan Kothrade, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and Chief Technology Officer.

Moreover, following the recent successful start-up of several propylene downstream plants, BASF has safely brought into operations the plants for ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol as well as polyethylene. Zhanjiang will be BASF’s third largest Verbund site worldwide after Ludwigshafen and Antwerp and will serve as a model for sustainable production in China and globally. For example, the site will be supplied with electricity that is 100 percent from renewable sources. Products from BASF’s Zhanjiang Verbund site will mainly supply customers in the Chinese market, the largest and fastest growing chemical market in the world.