On January 26, reporters learned from PetroChina that significant progress has been made in the domestic POE (polyolefin elastomer) adaptability transformation project of its subsidiary Dushanzi Petrochemical Company, which produced nearly 60,000 tons of POE products in 2025. This marks the industrial mass production and large-scale supply of China's first POE gas-phase polymerization process, breaking the "bottleneck" problem of key photovoltaic materials. It will effectively alleviate the dependence of China's strategic emerging industries such as photovoltaic and new energy vehicles on imported products, and inject strong momentum into reducing costs, increasing efficiency and enhancing international competitiveness of domestic downstream industries.
POE is a high-performance polyolefin elastomer that combines the processability of plastics with the high elasticity of rubber. It is known as "industrial gold" and is widely used in photovoltaic modules, lightweight automotive components, high-end packaging, and other fields. Among them, in high-end domestic photovoltaic modules, the photovoltaic adhesive film made of POE is an indispensable core packaging material. However, due to difficulties such as high production technology barriers and strict process control, China has long relied on imports for POE, resulting in high product prices. According to Hua Wei, Supervisor of the Chinese Chemical Society, at the 2025 International Energy Development Summit Forum, as of the first three quarters of 2025, China's POE import dependence was still around 95%, and accelerating the domestic substitution of products is extremely urgent.
POE particles as white as snow
PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company has adopted the independently developed gas-phase process, being the first in China and filling the technological gap in related fields. Tests have shown that the core index of its main grade UL0588, i.e., light transmittance, has reached the international advanced level, and its quality stability ranks among the top of domestic POE products. The photovoltaic encapsulant film made from this product exhibits better weather resistance, stronger water vapor barrier property and longer service life.
Compared with the internationally mainstream solution method, the gas-phase process also has the advantage of being more environmentally friendly, with energy consumption being only about 60% of that of the solution method. Wang Jinchao, deputy manager of the Polyolefin Second Department of Dushanzi Petrochemical Company, introduced that the gas-phase process has no solvent emissions during production, and the product has low volatile content and little odor, meeting the requirements of green and low-carbon development.
The packaged POE products are being loaded onto the truck.
Technological breakthroughs do not happen overnight. Since 2015, Dushanzi Petrochemical Company has focused on the research and development of high-end polyolefins, and has successively achieved industrialization in the field of high-end materials such as metallocene polyethylene, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization of POE. In April 2024, the team completed the transformation from laboratory to industrial production, successfully achieving the "from 0 to 1" leap in POE gas-phase technology. At present, the company has completed the POE complete set of technical process packages, which have been promoted within PetroChina, and is accelerating the formation of an industrial cluster effect.
Since the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, PetroChina has seized strategic opportunities, accelerated the construction of the "refining, chemical, biological, fine, and material" industrial structure, vigorously implemented the "New Materials Acceleration Project", accelerated the release of new production capacity and the development of new products, and successfully created a number of market-influential giant-level products such as nitrile rubber and high-end polyolefins. The output of new materials has maintained a growth rate of more than 50% for four consecutive years, providing key support for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the refining and chemical industry, enhancing the resilience of the industrial chain, and improving the safety guarantee level of key materials. It is reported that with the successive completion of PetroChina's other POE projects, it is expected that by the end of 2026, the company's total production capacity will exceed 300,000 tons, providing important guarantees for ensuring the supply chain security of emerging industries such as new energy.
