China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the parent of PetroChina, reportedly began official operation of the Tarim Ethylene Phase 2 project and its associated low-carbon demonstration unit in Korla, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on July 20, 2026. The startup is said to complete the largest petrochemical production base in western China.
The Tarim Ethylene Phase 2 project is a 1.2-million-ton-per-year (1.2 MTA) ethylene production unit designed to consume approximately 1,000 GWh of renewable energy annually by utilizing solar power from the Tarim Oilfield. It reportedly also incorporates a CO2 and hydrogen recycling system, reducing carbon emissions by roughly 1.37 million tons per year, and CNPC has described it as “China’s first full-cycle green, low-carbon ethylene project.” However, the specific process technology licensor is not identified in the original report and was not separately reflected here.