Dow plans to assess projects in S. China

Dow Chemical Co. will seek potential opportunities in oil-based projects in China’s south this year to tap the country’s increasing demand for raw materials such as ethylene, a senior executive said. The U.S.-based company will continue to evaluate the possibility of participating in building an ethylene complex in China, Jim McIlvenny, president of Dow Asia Pacific, said.  Demand for ethylene, a key petrochemical building block, has been rising among the nation’s manufacturing companies, spurred by China’s fast growing economy.  Even with the government’s plans to expand ethylene capacity, China will still have to import 40% of its ethylene supply in 2010. In 2005, Chinese ethylene imports represented 57% of total demand. (February 13, 2007)