Jun 30 2005
BP, Sinopec and Shanghai Petrochemical Company, the three parties in the SECCO joint venture, today celebrated the successful construction and commissioning of the SECCO manufacturing site at a ceremony in Shanghai, following a decade-long collaboration.
The 220-hectare SECCO facility, the largest petrochemical complex in China to date, was built in just 27 months, 3 months ahead of schedule. Commissioning of SECCO's 900ktpa cracker, in March 2005, took just 10 hours, 45 minutes, a world record.
Today's ceremony was attended by several senior Chinese officials, including Mr. Han Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai and Mr. Chen Liangyu, Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. Senior Sinopec officials including Mr. Chen Tonghai, General Manager & Chairman of Sinopec, Mr. Wang Tianpu, President, and Mr. Wang Jiming, Vice Chairman, were also present.
Ralph Alexander, CEO of BP's petrochemicals subsidiary, Innovene, which is expected to hold a significant interest in the joint venture, commented, "When SECCO's shareholders first came together, they shared a common vision: to create a truly world-class company serving China's rapidly growing demand for petrochemicals, using the best technology, manufacturing methods and management expertise available. Now, nearly a decade later, that vision has been realised. This is truly one of the most impressive achievements I have witnessed in my 28 years at BP."