Shell announced the successful completion of the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex(SEPC) investment project in Singapore. SEPC is Shell’s largest petrochemicals investment to date and the second world-scale petrochemicals project the company has completed in Asia in four years. The completion of the project reinforces Shell’s intention to remain a leading player in the expanding Asian petrochemicals market.

Shell designed the new facilities to maximise the synergies and infrastructural benefits of locating refining, petrochemicals cracking and chemicals derivatives production within a single manufacturing hub; Bukom and Jurong island. Each of the new chemical production units started up as planned. They include a world-scale cracker, a butadiene extraction unit and one of the world’s largest mono-ethylene glycol plants. The project also included modifications to the nearby Shell Pulau Bukom Refinery, enabling it to process a wider range of crudes to supply feedstock to the cracker.

"This project clearly demonstrates Shell’s strategy to focus on growth markets and to integrate oil and chemicals manufacturing to gain efficiencies," said CEO Peter Voser. "Creating Shell’s largest integrated site will bring considerable synergies in terms of feedstocks, operations and logistics. Our ambition is to grow in the dynamic Asian petrochemicals market, where we are already a leading player.”