BASF-YPC Company Ltd has awarded a contract to the Shaw Group Inc. for the engineering, procurement, and construction of its 600,000 metric tons-per-year steam-cracker and related facilities to be built in Nanjing, China. Shaw’s subsidiary, Stone & Webster Inc. (S&W), will be responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction services. Construction will be subcontracted to a Chinese company. Certain plant equipment and materials included in Shaw’s July 2000 purchase of Stone & Webster’s assets will be utilised for this project. The steam-cracker, also known as an ethylene plant, is at the core of the USD 2.6 billion integrated petrochemical site jointly owned by BASF Aktiengesellschaft and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC). The parent companies formed a joint venture BASF-YPC Company Ltd in December 2000 to build and operate the integrated site, which is expected to go on stream by 2004 or 2005. Land preparation and engineering work on the site started in January 2001. Construction is expected to begin in 2002.
