China's BPA Production Capacity Continues to Surge

On June 24, China's Shandong Fuyu Chemical Co., Ltd. successfully completed granulation of bisphenol A (BPA), marking the full commissioning of its new BPA project. The facility includes a production unit with an annual capacity of 180,000 tons, utilizing the U.S.-developed Badger BPA technology, which synthesizes BPA through condensation and alkylation reactions using phenol and acetone as feedstock.

This BPA project is part of Fuyu Chemical's broader industrial upgrading initiative, which also includes a phenol-acetone project. The latter began producing qualified phenol and acetone products on October 27, 2024. The phenol-acetone facility has a total annual capacity of 250,000 tons, including 154,600 tons of phenol and 95,400 tons of acetone, and adopts advanced production technology from KBR.

Fuyu's 180,000-ton-per-year BPA unit, known for its high efficiency and low energy consumption, significantly improves product purity and yield. Meanwhile, the supporting 250,000-ton-per-year phenol-acetone plant benefits from KBR's cutting-edge process, which further reduces feedstock costs and enhances synergies across the value chain.

BPA is a key raw material for producing polycarbonate and epoxy resin, widely used in electronics, automotive, and medical devices. In recent years, the global demand for BPA has grown steadily, driven by rapid expansion in industries such as new energy and electronics. Industry data shows that the global BPA market exceeded USD 20 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at an average annual rate of around 5% over the next five years.

Historically, the global BPA market has been dominated by international chemical giants such as Covestro (USA), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), and LG Chem (South Korea), which have leveraged their technological leadership and global footprints to control the high-end market. However, emerging players from China are rapidly catching up through technology partnerships and aggressive capacity expansion. China is now the fastest-growing region in terms of BPA production capacity, with leading domestic producers such as Zhejiang Petrochemical and Nantong Xingchen actively expanding their footprint, intensifying industry competition

In the first half of 2025, BPA prices in China continued to decline due to rising supply and lower production costs. According to monitoring data from the BuyChemPlas Research Institute, the average BPA price in China for June 2025 was RMB 8,407 per ton, down 5.33% from the previous month and 16.67% year-on-year.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2025, several new phenol-acetone and BPA projects are scheduled to come online, with a combined 660,000 tons per year of new BPA capacity expected. Notably, around 80% of this new capacity lacks integrated downstream facilities, which will lead to increased spot market supply. However, structural mismatches between upstream and downstream supply and demand persist. Meanwhile, feedstock prices for phenol and acetone are expected to fluctuate downward in the coming months, providing limited cost support for BPA production.