The polypropylene (PP) production unit of methanol to olefins project, launched by Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd., kicked off in Yinchuan, Ningxia Region on March 18, 2012. The project is planned to have an initial investment of RMB1.85 billion and is design to employ the gas phase polymerizat ion process technology imported from the Germany based Lummus Novolen Technologies GmbH. Construction on the project will be completed and startup is scheduled before April 30th, 2014. It will annually produce 500 000 tons of PP after full operational. The company has started up the methanol to propylene plant in May 2011.