As one of Sinopec’s core integrated refining and chemical complexes, Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company (Zhenhai Refining & Chemical) ranks among China’s largest oil refiners and stands as a pivotal exemplar of industrial transformation in the global energy and chemical sector. Decades of development have transformed it from a regional refinery into a world-scale integrated base covering oil refining, petrochemical production, new advanced materials and low-carbon green technologies.
Against the backdrop of global energy transition and China’s "Dual Carbon" goals, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical is redefining the development paradigm of modern refining and chemical enterprises through technological innovation, digital transformation and green development strategies.
Located in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta economic circle, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical boasts premium port access and a comprehensive logistics network. Its origins trace back to Zhenhai Refinery, constructed in the 1970s.
Through multiple rounds of capacity expansion and technological upgrades, the company has built a coordinated industrial chain integrating oil refining, aromatics production and ethylene manufacturing, along with downstream chemical product lines. Today, its crude oil processing capacity sits among China’s top tier, forming a critical pillar of Sinopec’s refining and chemical division.
Leveraging Ningbo Zhoushan Port, a world-class deep-water port, the enterprise efficiently connects to global crude supply chains and domestic consumer markets, laying a solid foundation for sustained growth.
Integrated refining and chemical production has become a core development model for the modern refining and chemical industry, and Zhenhai Refining & Chemical is a successful pioneer of this model.
Deep integration of refining units and chemical facilities enables the company to:
Intermediate byproducts generated during crude refining are directly fed as feedstock to chemical units, forming an internal circular industrial chain that greatly enhances value-added output.
In recent years, the commissioning of large-scale ethylene projects and high-end new chemical material facilities has accelerated the enterprise’s strategic shift from a fuel-focused refinery to a chemical-oriented integrated complex.
Digitalization has emerged as a vital lever for modern refining and chemical enterprises to elevate operational efficiency.
Zhenhai Refining & Chemical actively advances smart factory construction, deploying industrial internet, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and digital twin technology to enable real-time monitoring and optimized management across all production workflows.
Its intelligent manufacturing system delivers the following capabilities:
Beyond lifting production efficiency, digital transformation delivers robust technical support for the company’s green and low-carbon transition agenda.
Amid worldwide carbon emission reduction momentum, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical has rolled out a comprehensive green development strategy with key initiatives outlined below:
The company continuously lowers energy consumption per unit product by boosting energy efficiency, recovering waste heat and refining production processes.
It has ramped up investment in pollution abatement infrastructure to advance resource recycling of wastewater, waste gas and solid waste, delivering steady improvements in environmental performance.
The enterprise actively explores frontier sectors including hydrogen energy, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and green chemical manufacturing, building up technological reserves for future energy transition.
By promoting cross-chain resource recycling and industrial synergy, the complex elevates overall resource efficiency to achieve balanced growth of economic and environmental benefits.
Technological innovation remains the core competitive edge sustaining Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s market leadership.
The company maintains robust R&D investment, securing successive breakthroughs in high-performance polyolefins, novel chemical materials, high-end specialty resins and functional fine chemicals.
Booming demand for high-performance chemical materials spurred by new energy vehicles, information electronics and high-end equipment manufacturing opens new growth avenues for the enterprise.
Moving forward, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical will further deepen integration between innovation and industrial chains, accelerating its pivot toward high-value, technology-intensive product lines.
The global energy and chemical industry is undergoing profound structural shifts, with green low-carbon development, digitalization and high-end product manufacturing emerging as defining megatrends.
As a front-runner in China’s refining and chemical sector, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical targets the construction of a globally preeminent integrated refining and chemical complex to advance high-quality development and low-carbon transformation. Sustained innovation, industrial structure optimization and operational efficiency gains will enable the company to play an indispensable role in safeguarding national energy security while strengthening its standing amid fierce global competition in energy and chemicals.
Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s evolution from a conventional crude refinery to a state-of-the-art integrated refining and chemical complex mirrors the growth and structural reform of China’s petrochemical industry. Looking ahead, deepened application of green low-carbon technologies and digital innovation will position the enterprise as a global benchmark for sustainable energy and chemical manufacturing, contributing replicable "Chinese solutions" to the industrial transformation of the sector worldwide.
