PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Achieves High-Quality Large-Scale Production of Gas-Phase POE

China National Petroleum Corporation's (CNPC) Dushanzi Petrochemical Company has made significant progress in its domestic POE (polyolefin elastomer) adaptation and modification project, with plans to produce nearly 60,000 tons of the product in 2025. This marks the successful large-scale production of domestically developed gas-phase POE products, breaking the long-term technological blockade of foreign companies and providing a solid guarantee for the supply chain security of China's photovoltaic, automotive, and other industries.

POE, hailed as "industrial gold," is widely used in photovoltaic modules, lightweight automotive components, high-end packaging, and other fields. With the rapid development of new energy industries such as photovoltaics, China has become the world's largest POE consumption market. Hua Wei, supervisor of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, stated that as of the third quarter of last year, China's import reliance on POE was still around 95%, making it imperative to accelerate the domestic substitution of the product.

The core of achieving large-scale production this time lies in the historic breakthrough of China's independently developed gas-phase process. As the first domestic enterprise to master this technology, Dushanzi Petrochemical has focused on the research and development of high-end polyolefins since 2015, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization of POE. In April 2024, the company's R&D team completed the transition from laboratory to industrial production, successfully achieving a "from zero to one" leap in POE gas-phase technology.

"Compared to the international mainstream solution method, the gas phase method consumes only 60% of the energy. At the same time, there are no solvent emissions during the production process, and the product has low volatile content and minimal odor, which better aligns with the requirements for green and low-carbon development," said Wang Jinzhao, Deputy Manager of the Polyolefin Department II at Dushanzi Petrochemical.

High quality is key to a product's market success. Currently, Dushanzi Petrochemical's POE core grade UL0588 has achieved international advanced levels in its critical indicator of light transmittance, and its quality stability ranks among the top domestic POE products. Photovoltaic encapsulants manufactured from this product offer superior weather resistance, stronger water vapor barrier properties, and extended lifespan, providing a stable, reliable, and high-quality domestic alternative solution for China's photovoltaic industry.

Currently, the complete set of POE technology developed by Dushanzi Petrochemical has been promoted and applied in PetroChina, accelerating the formation of industrial cluster effects. As other POE projects of PetroChina are successively completed, they will inject strong momentum into the cost reduction and efficiency improvement of domestic downstream industries and enhance their international competitiveness.