On January 11, 2026, a key milestone was achieved in the Sino-Saudi Ethylene Project in Gulei, a major energy cooperation initiative between China and Saudi Arabia. Two ethylene oxide (EO) reactors, setting new world records in manufacturing, were successfully hoisted into place at the Fujian Gulei Petrochemical Base, marking the completion of all major equipment lifting tasks for the project. This milestone not only demonstrates the collaborative攻坚 capability of Fujian Energy and Petrochemical Group and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) but also lays a solid foundation for the large-scale production of high-end petrochemical products upon the project's completion and operation in 2026.

As the core equipment of this lifting operation, the EO reactors are堪称 "giants" and "representatives of high precision and尖端 technology" in the petrochemical field. According to on-site technical personnel, each reactor has a net weight of 1,540 tons, a lifting weight of 1,756 tons, an outer diameter of nearly 9.3 meters, and contains over 32,000精密 heat exchange tubes. They are currently the largest in diameter and heaviest single-unit EO reactors in the world.

Notably, the EO reactor is a core and critical piece of equipment in the ethylene深加工 process. Its successful installation意味着 the key节点 of the project's core production chain has been打通. Upon operation, this equipment will facilitate the production of high-end petrochemical products such as ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol. These products are widely used in高端 fields such as electronics and electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, communications, healthcare, automotive, and new materials, effectively filling domestic market gaps for related high-end products and meeting the growing demand for high-quality petrochemical materials.

The successful completion of this lifting task离不开 the technical积淀 and协同发力 of both partners. The lifting process employed precise协同作业 between a 4,000-ton and a 1,350-ton crawler crane. Through a series of high-difficulty maneuvers such as rotation, lifting, and直立, the two "giants" were平稳 installed into place,全程 showcasing a high level of精细化 construction and高端 equipment operation and maintenance.

As the合资 construction entity of the project, Fujian Sino-Saudi Petrochemical Co., Ltd. was established with a 49%:51% shareholding ratio between Fujian Fuhua Gulei Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary控股 by Fujian Energy and Petrochemical Group) and Saudi Industrial Investment Company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of SABIC). Since its establishment in March 2022, the company has始终 relied on the core strengths of both parties to advance the project. Among them, Fujian Energy and Petrochemical Group, as a leading provincial enterprise, leverages its industrial foundation深耕 in the Gulei Petrochemical Base to provide完善的本土配套 and operational保障 for the project. SABIC, a全球领先的 petrochemical giant, brings国际先进的 petrochemical technology and product研发 capabilities, providing核心支撑 for the project's高端化定位.

It is reported that the Sino-Saudi Ethylene Project in Gulei, with a total investment of 44.8 billion yuan, is located in the Gulei Petrochemical Base, one of China's seven major petrochemical bases. It is an important实践 of the deep对接 between the "Belt and Road" Initiative and Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030." The project employs 19项全球领先 technologies. In addition to the core EO/ethylene glycol unit, it also plans to construct multiple高端 product lines, including high-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, and polypropylene, with a maximum annual ethylene production capacity of 1.8 million tons.

Upon completion, the project is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately 30 billion yuan. It will not only become the核心载体 for the high-end petrochemical industry布局 of Fujian Energy and Petrochemical Group and SABIC in China but also drive downstream industry chain and service sector investments exceeding 200 billion yuan. This will助力 the Gulei Petrochemical Base in构建 a full industry chain development格局 "from a drop of oil to a strand of丝."

The project director of Fujian Sino-Saudi Petrochemical Co., Ltd. stated that the completion of the major equipment lifting tasks has铺平了道路 for subsequent installation and调试 work. In the next step, both parties will持续深化协同,加快推进 the project construction progress to ensure如期建成投产 in 2026.届时, the diversified high-end petrochemical products produced by the project will进一步完善 China's petrochemical industry product structure,提升 the competitiveness of the domestic petrochemical industry in the global market, and注入更强动力 into energy industry cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia.