The Gulei ethylene complex, a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s SABIC and Fujian Energy Petrochemical Group of China, has reportedly entered final commissioning with a target of commercial start-up in August 2026. The project is being developed by SABIC Fujian Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., in which SABIC Industrial Investment holds a 51% stake and its Fujian-based partner holds the remaining 49%, it is reported.
The Gulei complex is centered on a mixed-feed steam cracker, with a number of downstream units — including ethylene glycol (EG), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polycarbonate (PC) — built alongside it, it is reported. The applied process technology reportedly includes Lummus’s steam cracker technology among a total of 19 globally leading technologies, nine of which are SABIC’s own proprietary technologies.
Total investment is reported at RMB 44.8 billion (approximately $6.4 billion), making it one of the largest single Sino-foreign joint venture investments in Fujian province. Ethylene production capacity is 1.8 million tonnes per year, with commissioning underway in the second half of 2026 ahead of a targeted commercial start-up in August.
SABIC has continued to pursue local joint ventures to expand access to China’s downstream market, and the Gulei complex is regarded as a representative example of this strategy, it is reported.
The continued addition of large-scale naphtha and mixed-feed crackers in China is viewed as a project that could affect the regional supply balance for ethylene and polyolefins across Asia.
The actual timing of commercial start-up and the initial utilization rate trend are worth watching.