• World-scale production plant with annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons successfully goes on-stream
  • Commercial products are now available for delivery to customers

Nanjing, China - December 3, 2015 - BASF and SINOPEC have commenced production of Neopentylglycol (NPG) at the state-of-the art Verbund site, BASF-YPC Co., Ltd., a 50-50 joint venture in Nanjing, China. Commercial products are now ready for delivery to customers. The new plant has an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons.

'With this new plant, we are responding to our customers' growing demand for high-quality Neopentylglycol, especially in the Asia Pacific region, and at the same time strengthening our position as the global leading supplier of NPG,' said Narayan Krishnamohan, Senior Vice President, BASF Intermediates Asia Pacific. 'We have 55 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying Neopentylglycol to our customers across a broad range of industries.'

'With this partnership, SINOPEC and BASF are fully utilizing their strengths regarding resources, technology, talent and management. Furthermore with this investment we are building on the core competitiveness of both partners,' said Mr. Wang Jingyi, 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 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, United States and Jilin, China.

About BASF-YPC
BASF-YPC Co., Ltd. ('BASF-YPC') 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 the rapid-growing demand in multiple industries including agriculture, construction, electronics, pharmaceutical, hygiene, automotive and chemical manufacturing.

BASF-YPC successfully started commercial production at the first phase of the integrated petrochemical site in 2005. Upon completion of a series of expansions, BASF-YPC now has an enhanced value chain with a broad portfolio of chemical products and fine chemicals.

All BASF-YPC plants are interconnected in order to use products, by-products and energy in the most efficient way, to save cost and minimize environmental impact. BASF-YPC posted sales of €2.71 billion in 2014 and employed 1,952 people as of the end of that year.

About SINOPEC
Sinopec is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies with upstream, midstream and downstream operations in China. Its principal operations include: the exploration and production, pipeline transportation and sales of petroleum and natural gas; the sales, storage and transportation of petroleum products, petrochemical products, synthetic fiber, fertilizer and other chemical products; import and export, as well as import and export agency business of oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemical and chemical products, and other commodities and technologies; and research, development and application of technologies and information.

Adhering to its corporate mission of enterprise development, contribution to the country, shareholder value creation, social responsibility and employee wellbeing, Sinopec implements strategies of resources, markets, integration, internationalisation, differentiation and green low-carbon development with a view to realize its vision of building a world first class energy and chemical company. More information on Sinopec is available on the Internet at http://www.sinopec.com/

About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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