Factsheet

Did you know that…?

The Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex integrated refinery and petrochemicals project will include a new world-scale ethylene cracker on Bukom Island, Singapore.

Singapore is already the Shell Group’s largest oil and petrochemicals manufacturing centre in Asia Pacific.

It is nearly 120 years since Shell first invested in Singagpore, 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. It has a crude distillation capacity of 500,000 barrels-per-day which includes a condensate splitter that processes about 70,000 barrels per day of feedstock.

On completion in 2010, the new Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex (or SEPC) in Singapore will be Shell’s largest fully-integrated refinery and petrochemicals hub.

SEPC’s key products and annual production capacities on completion will include

• 800,000 tonnes Ethylene
• 750,000 tonnes Mono-ethylene glycol
• 155,000 tonnes Butadiene 
• 450,000 tonnes Propylene
• 230,000 tonnes Benzene

The Shell Group has invested several billion dollars in petrochemicals and other chemical projects in Singapore.

In November 2009, Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd (SEPL) and Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) signed agreements through which QPI will take a stake in two Shell Chemicals joint ventures in Singapore. Together, through a new joint venture called QPI and Shell Petrochemicals (Singapore) Pte Ltd (QSPS), the partners will effectively hold 50% of the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd (PCS) and 30% of The Polyolefin Company (Singapore) Pte Ltd (TPC). The other shareholders in PCS and TPC are respectively, JSPC and NSPC, both Japanese consortia led by Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited. The agreements between SEPL and QPI take effect in December 2009.

Shell’s current wholly- or jointly-owned chemicals manufacturing assets in Singapore 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 tpa of SM and 250,000 tpa 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) & hydrocarbon solvents plants on Pulau Bukom - 100% owned by SEPL. Annual production of IPA is 75,000 tpa and hydrocarbons is 135,000 tpa. 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. 

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