LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany/NANJING, China – BASF and SINOPEC will expand the production capacity of neopentylglycol (NPG) at the Verbund site, BASF-YPC Co. Ltd., a 50-50 joint venture in Nanjing, China. The plant was established in 2015 with an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons. Following the expansion, the annual capacity will be doubled to 80,000 metric tons. The expanded capacity will come on stream in 2020.

"With this increased capacity, we will support the fast-growing customer demand for high-quality NPG in China and the Asia-Pacific region. The expansion is also in line with the trend towards environmentally friendly powder coatings with low volatile organic compounds, or VOCs," said Narayan Krishnamohan, Senior Vice President, BASF Intermediates Asia Pacific. "As a globally leading supplier of NPG, we have decades of experience in manufacturing and supplying NPG to our customers across a broad range of industries. Customers will benefit from our regional presence, innovation strength, flexibility and reliability of supply."

"The investment further strengthens strategic success between SINOPEC and BASF as we both support the trend of sustainable development. Both SINOPEC and BASF have confidence in Nanjing, Jiangsu, and its future prospects, as an ideal investment destination," said Mr. Li Cheng Feng, Chairman of Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Co. Ltd. and BASF-YPC Co. Ltd.

NPG is a unique polyalcohol offering superior performance in many end-use applications such as powder coatings, textiles and construction due to its high chemical and thermal stability. It is mainly used as a building block in polyester resins for coatings, unsaturated polyester and alkyd resins, lubricants, and plasticizers. As the global market leader, BASF has NPG production facilities in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Freeport, Texas; and Jilin, China.

BASF-YPC Co. Ltd. is a 50-50 joint venture between BASF and Sinopec, founded in 2000, with a total investment of $5.2 billion. The integrated petrochemical site produces three million tons of high-quality chemicals and polymers for the Chinese market annually. The products serve multiple industries including agriculture, construction, electronics, pharmaceutical, hygiene, automotive and chemical manufacturing.