28 Jan 2026
Combined ethylene output capacity to be reduced to 455ktpa from existing 951,000ktpa
Tokyo – Asahi Kasei, Mitsui Chemicals and Mitsubishi Chemical have signed a basic agreement to establish a joint operating entity and consolidate ethylene production in western Japan by fiscal 2030.
Under the plan, the Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi Chemical Ethylene Corp. (AMEC) facility at Mizushima will be shut and operations consolidated at Osaka Petrochemical Industries’ Senboku site, the partners announced 27 Jan.
Following the consolidation, combined ethylene output capacity will be reduced to 455 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) from 951,000ktpa, they added.
The companies have also been selected for Japan’s “hard-to-abate industries” support programme and plan to install an initial bioethanol-based olefins facility using Asahi Kasei’s Revolefin technology at Mizushima.
Set for commercial operation in 2034, the project will manufacture ethylene, propylene, and other "decarbonised basic chemicals" from bioethanol.
Total investment in the project is estimated at Yen21.2 billion (€116 million), including up to Yen10.4 billion in subsidies, with expected CO2 emissions reductions of about 506ktpa in scopes 1 and 2.
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