As modern renovation project with annual capacity of 6.0Mt, PKOP Shymkent Refinery is the largest overseas oil refining engineering of CNPC and the key project in the development and cooperation between China and Kazakhstan as well as key project along One Road and One Belt Initiative development strategy. The project makes up of two construction phases, including 1.6Mt/a Naphtha Hydrogenation Renovation, 6Mt/a Atmospheric Distillation unit, 600,000t/a Isomerization unit, 2.0Mt/a Heavy Oil Catalytic Cracking unit, 1.0Mt/a Catalytic Gasoline Hydrogenation unit, 322,000t/a Unsaturated LPG Treatment unit, 750kg/hr. Alkali Treatment unit, 180,000t/a Saturated LPG Treatment unit, 6.6Mt/a MTBE unit, 302,000t/a C3/C4 Separation unit, 150,000t/a two Sulfur Recycle units, 200t/hr. Solvent Regeneration unit, 300,000t/a Sour Water Stripping unit, Hydrogen Purification unit and Storage and Movement systems, utility systems and auxiliary production facilities.

CEI was the leading design institute of the Refinery and responsible for engineering design of Phase I Naphtha Hydrogenation Renovation unit, matching facilities, and all units’ engineering design and technical support in Phase II exclusive of Sulfur and MTBE units. On 28 June 2017, Phase I 600,000t/a Isomerization unit produced qualified products; On 7 May 2018, Phase II(Catalytic Gasoline Hydrogenation unit, Unsaturated LPG Treatment unit, Alkali Residue Treatment unit, Saturated LPG Treatment unit, C3 and C4 Separation unit, Solvent Regeneration unit, Sour Water Stripping unit, LPG Tank Farm, Heavy Oil Catalytic Cracking unit, PSA2 unit and Steam & Condensate unit) all handed over on a high quality level. On 15 August 2018, all units were put into operation in the first trial. On 28 September, Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, visited and inspected the project on site.