China to account for 60% of upcoming petrochemicals project starts in Asia by 2030

Asia is poised to dominate the global petrochemicals projects landscape, representing for nearly two-thirds of the projects slated to commence operations by the end of the decade. China is likely to account for more than 60% of them, according to GlobalData, the data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, Petrochemicals New-Build and Expansion Projects Outlook by Key Commodities, Region and Development Stage to 2030, says that out of about 851 projects scheduled to begin operations in Asia by 2030. Of the 534 projects due to come online in China, 519 are new builds, while the rest are expansion projects.

Bhargavi Gandham, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “China continues to add significant petrochemicals projects due to robust economic growth, rising demand from end‑use sectors such as packaging, automotive, medical, and construction, and strategic investments aimed at reducing reliance on imports.”

Around 76% of upcoming petrochemical plants in China are expected to be in the construction and commission stages. The remaining 24% are likely to be in pre‑construction stages (feasibility, FEED, and approval).

Polypropylene is set to lead petrochemical project starts in China by 2030, comprising about 9% of the total starts during the 2025 to 2030 outlook period, with all the projects being new build. About 70% of the projects are under construction, while the remaining are in the pre-construction stages.

Notable upcoming polypropylene plants in the country include the “ujian Yongrong New Materials Company Putian Polypropylene Plant 2 and the Fujian Yongrong New Materials Company Putian Polypropylene Plant 1, with capacities of 1.1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) and 0.9mtpa, respectively.

Polyethylene projects are set to account for roughly 8% of all petrochemical projects starts in China. Of these, about three-fourths are under construction, while the remaining are in the pre-construction stages (feasibility and approval). Zhejiang Petrochemical Daishan Polyethylene Plant 7 (Swing) is a major polyethylene project, which has received plan approval and is expected to become online in 2029 with a capacity of 0.7mtpa.

GlobalData identifies propylene as another major petrochemical commodity with substantial project starts in the country.  Over half of the upcoming projects are under construction, while the remaining are in the pre-construction stages (feasibility and approval). Shandong Yulong Petrochemical Longkou Propylene Plant 2 (2.00mtpa), Fujian Yongrong New Materials Company Putian Propylene Plant 2 (1.10mtpa), and SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Zhangzhou Propylene Plant (1.02mtpa) are some notable propylene projects.