BP Zhuhai have appointed Widnell to provide cost control services for their second world-scale PTA (purified terephthalic acid) plant at their BP Zhuhai Chemical Company Limited (BP Zhuhai) site in Guangdong Province, China.

BP Zhuhai, a joint venture between BP and Fu Hua Group, currently operates a 350,000 tonnes a year PTA plant at the site and will also own and operate the new plant. The new plant, with a capacity of 900,000 tonnes a year, will be the first to employ BP’s latest generation PTA technology and, subject to final approval from the Chinese Government, is expected to come on stream at the end of 2007 to meet PTA demand growth in China.

BP is one of the world’s largest oil, gas and petrochemicals groups, generating 2004 profits of over US$16 billion and revenues of over US$280 billion. BP employs about 103,000 people worldwide and has activities in more than 100 countries. The company is one of the leading foreign investors in China, having invested over $3 billion in commercial projects in the country. Its activities in China include production and importation of natural gas, supply of aviation fuel, import and marketing of LPG, fuels retailing, lubricants blending and sales, and petrochemical manufacturing. BP employs over 3,000 staff in China, either directly or through joint ventures.

Upon final approval from the Chinese Government, the Zhuhai project will be built with significant local engineering, procurement and construction in addition to applying project experience from BP’s global system of 21 operating PTA units