BASF, the world's leading chemical company, will deliver its high pressure equipment to PetroChina's new LDPE (low density polyethylene) plant located in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, northwest China.

According to BASF sources, the equipment, which costs almost 5 million US dollars and has an operation pressure up to 3,600 bar, will be delivered to PetroChina in January 2006.

The sources said that BASF and PetroChina have cooperated in this field since 2003, when BASF first supplied high-pressure equipment to PetroChina's LDPE project in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China.

"We are not only the world's largest company in terms of sales, but also have been a technical pioneer in developing this technology for 90 years," said Dr. Michael Christill, director of BASF Site Marketing and Services Sales. "Our expertise lies in the design, production, operation and maintenance of high-pressure equipment. We have proven to be a reliable, value-added partner to our key customer PetroChina by successfully supplying several of our investment projects in China."

BASF is one of the biggest foreign investors in China's chemical industry. The company currently has over 4,000 employees and operates 10 wholly owned subsidiaries and 9 joint ventures in Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Jilin, Shenyang and Hsinchu.

In order to stay in tune with local markets, the company maintains offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Chengdu and Taipei. In 2004, BASF achieved sales of over EUR 1.9 billion in Greater China.

Source: Xinhua