On July 19, PetroChina Urumqi PertoChemical Company's 1Mt/a paraxylene aromatic hydrocarbon plant became operational in the capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

With a total investment of RMB 3.7 billion, the plant is composed of eight units and will produce one million tons of paraxylene and 376,5 00 tons of benzene every year. Approved by the NDRC (National Development and Reform Committee) on May 19, 2006, the project started to be built on May 1, 2008.

The operation of the project will surely facilitate the development of chemical industry in Xinjiang and northwestern China, realize the sharing of regional resources, and help improve regional economical structure.