Analysis of global planned ethylene capacity shows that the US has the highest planned ethylene capacity additions with 10 million tonnes per year (mtpa) from 2018 up to 2022, followed by China and Iran with 8mtpa and 6mtpa, respectively, according to data and analytics firm GlobalData. 

 

At present, the US accounts for 33 per cent of total global planned ethylene capacity additions in 2022, with eight major ethylene plant projects in the pipeline. Among those planned facilities, Formosa Plastics Corporation Point Comfort Ethylene Plant 3 and Exxon Mobil Corporation Baytown Ethylene Plant 2 have the highest capacity with 2.3mtpa each.

 

Meanwhile, China has a 27-per-cent share in the global planned ethylene capacity additions up to 2022, with a total of 18 upcoming ethylene facilities. The top three planned facilities in terms of capacity are Zhejiang Petrochemical Daishan Ethylene Plant 1 with a capacity of 1.4mtpa, followed by Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company Ningbo Ethylene Plant 2 (1.3mtpa) and Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical Quanzhou Ethylene Plant (1.0mtpa).

 

In third place, Iran is expected to contribute about 19 per cent to the total global planned ethylene capacity additions in 2022, with nine ethylene plants in the pipeline. Sepid Mehr Chabahar Ethylene Plant leads with a capacity of 1.1mtpa, followed by Gachsaran Petrochemical Company Gachsaran Ethylene Plant, Bushehr Petrochemical Company Assaluyeh Ethylene Plant and Firouzabad Petrochemical Company Firouzabad Ethylene Plant – all with a planned 1.0mtpa capacity.

 

Russia has seven per cent share of the global planned ethylene capacity additions by 2022, although this will be accounted for by just two upcoming facilities – ZapSibNeftekhim Tobolsk Ethylene Plant (1.5mtpa) and Novy Urengoy Gas-chemical Novy Urengoy Ethylene Plant (0.4mtpa).

 

Further down the list, Malaysia, Vietnam, Oman and Venezuela are all planning to develop 1mtpa capacity, each country contributing around three per cent of the total global planned ethylene capacity additions by 2022.