How does the carbon capture work? From what I found “CCUS-EOR” is basically using CO2 to extract more oil out of a reservoir. Which sounds really questionable if the math (EDIT: “doesn’t”) works out to a significant plus.
If they mostly produce plastics and chemicals that can be sequestered afterwards, then it’s not that bad compared to burning fossil fuels.
I’m guessing it’s something along these lines https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-022-00775-6
Thanks super interesting, industrial sugar from CO2!
Alright wow, searching for “ethylene carbon capture CNPC” you find a better article explaining it: https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2026/07/cnpc-launches-chinas-first-full-chain-green-low-carbon-ethylene-project/
Apparently they capture low concentation flue gases from cracking(?) and then convert that into ethylene (widespread plastic precursor) using solar power. Which is nice because it’s kind of like a battery, storing energy as chemical energy. This actually could work to make CO2 emitting industrial processes green, as the carbon can then be recycled or sequestered as plastic in the end. This should be significantly better than trying to pump CO2 into the ground hoping it stays there.
yeah it’s a really clever system
Archive link: https://archive.ph/11GyQ
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) started up the Tarim 1.2 million-ton-per-year Phase II ethylene project in Korla, Xinjiang, on July 17. CNPC describes it as the country’s first ethylene complex to integrate renewable power, carbon capture and by-product reuse across the full production chain.
CNPC has positioned the launch as part of its broader self-sufficiency and manufacturing goals, noting it is expected to help supply high-end polyolefins and synthetic rubber to fill regional gaps in southern Xinjiang and support downstream industrial clusters in the area. The geography also places the facility in proximity to energy and feedstock sources.
In a recent open letter to European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen, INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe warned of increasing competition from imported chemicals and its impact on Europe’s producers, calling the prices unsustainable. According to Ratcliffe, over 200 chemical plants have closed in Europe over the past five years. Ratcliffe called for better government backing of the sector, including INEOS’s own low-carbon ethylene cracker: the Project One facility in Antwerp, Belgium.
The INEOS Project One site under construction in Antwerp. Source: INEOS
The INEOS Project One site under construction in Antwerp. Source: INEOS In December, INEOS announced a £150 million investment in its Grangemouth site in Scotland, backed by a £75 million UK Government loan and a £50 million grant. The Grangemouth site also produces ethylene, which is a key feedstock not only for polymerization to polyethylene but also in creating intermediaries that used in making polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS).
