The Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex integrated refinery and petrochemicals project includes a new world-scale ethylene cracker on Bukom Island, Singapore.
Singapore is the Shell Group’s largest oil and petrochemicals manufacturing centre in Asia Pacific.
It is nearly 120 years since Shell first invested in Singapore, purchasing land to set up three storage tanks on Bukom.
Today, Shell is one of the largest foreign investors in Singapore, and Pulau Bukom is home to the largest Shell refinery in the world, with crude distillation capacity of 500,000 barrels-per-day.
The Shell Group has invested several billion dollars in petrochemicals and other chemical projects in Singapore.
Shell’s Singapore petrochemicals production has provided a platform to build a significant presence in the Asian market, which has been strengthened by the strong performance of the CNOOC and Shell petrochemicals joint venture – “Nanhai” - in Guangdong, China.
Shell intends to maintain a leading position in the growing Asian petrochemicals market. Our manufacturing assets in Singapore are well-positioned to meet the demands of these regional markets.
The Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex (or SEPC) investment project in Singapore created Shell’s largest fully-integrated refinery and petrochemicals hub from new and existing assets.
The SEPC project is Shell largest investment in petrochemicals. The project completed in early 2010 on time, as planned and with a remarkable safety record.
The scope of the SEPC project included a new Ethylene Cracker Complex (ECC); a world-scale mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) plant; and modifications to the existing Pulau Bukom refinery. These were strategically located to take advantage of existing infrastructure and to ensure that maximum benefits are achieved by integrating the petrochemical site with Shell’s Bukom oil refinery.
The new annual capacity brought on stream by the SEPC project includes:
- 800,000 tonnes ethylene
- 750,000 tonnes mono-ethylene glycol
- 155,000 tonnes butadiene
- 450,000 tonnes propylene
- 230,000 tonnes benzene
Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) holds a stake in two Shell Chemicals joint ventures in Singapore through a joint venture called QPI and Shell Petrochemicals (Singapore) Pte Ltd (QSPS). The partners hold 50% of the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd (PCS) and 30% of The Polyolefin Company (Singapore) Pte Ltd (TPC).
Shell’s current wholly- or jointly-owned chemicals manufacturing assets in Singapore (in addition to the new SEPC capacity listed above) include the following:
- Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd (PCS), located on Jurong Island, produces annually around 1.1 million tonnes of ethylene, 800,000 tonnes of propylene, 500,000 tonnes of aromatics, 300,000 tonnes of butadiene and MTBE, which are primarily used by other Singapore-based chemicals producers.
- The Polyolefins Company (TPC), located on Jurong Island has annual production capacities for 260,000 tonnes of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and 600,000 tonnes of polypropylene per year. These polymers are used in applications such as film, injection/blow moulding, lamination, cable and pipe.
- Ethylene Glycols Singapore (EGS) is located on Jurong Island, and is a joint venture between SEPL, which owns 70%, and a Japanese consortium led by Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation. EGS produces 120,000 tonnes of ethylene oxide a year which is converted into ethylene glycols and high purity ethylene oxide. EGS can also produce up to 40,000 tonnes a year of ethoxylates. EGS products are used in applications such as polyester fibres, polyester resins and surfactants.
- Shell Chemicals Seraya, located on Jurong Island, is 100% owned by Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd. Seraya’s annual production capacities are 350,000 tonnes of styrene monomer (SM) and 160,000 tonnes of propylene oxide (PO). SM is the starting material for plastics such as polystyrene, expandable polystyrene (EPS) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). The main applications for these products are in the automotive, electrical, appliances and packaging industries. PO is used in a wide range of chemical derivatives including polyols, propylene glycols, glycol ether solvents and flame retardants.
- Ellba Eastern Pte Ltd operates a styrene monomer/propylene oxide (SM/PO) plant, which started up at Shell Chemicals Seraya in mid-2002. The company is a 50-50 joint venture between SEPL and BASF South East Asia Pte Ltd. It has capacity of 550,000 tonnes of SM and 250,000 tonnes of PO.
- Polyols plants at Shell Chemicals Seraya – 100% owned by SEPL with annual production capacity of 195,000 tonnes. Polyols, the main derivative of PO, are used primarily to produce polyurethane foams, elastomers, adhesives and sealants. Examples of the most important polyurethane end-use applications and markets are furniture and bedding, shoe soles, appliances and construction insulation elements and the automotive industry in general.
- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and hydrocarbon solvents plants on Pulau Bukom - 100% owned by SEPL. Annual production of IPA is 75,000 tonnes and hydrocarbons is 135,000 tonnes. Applications for IPA include surface coatings, thinners, printing inks, adhesives, cosmetics, toiletries and cleaners. Solvents are used in a variety of applications for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and personal care products.
- CRI/Criterion is 100% owned by Shell Catalyst Ventures, Inc through CRI International Inc. CRI makes catalysts for the refining and chemical industries.
- Infineum is a joint venture between SEPL and ExxonMobil, which produces high-quality fuel, lubricants and speciality additives.
