SK Group said on Wednesday it will take part in a project to build a major petrochemical complex in China with global petrochemical companies such as China’s Sinopec and British Petroleum.

SK said it signed a preliminary deal with Sinopec and BP on Wednesday to build production facilities for butanediol, acetic acid and ammonia in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing by as early as 2014.

The 1.2-trillion-won complex will break ground as early as July or August, and is expected to reap more than 2 billion yuan ($318 million) in pre-tax profits after completion, SK said in a press release.

A joint venture of SK and Sinopec will build and run a plant that can produce an annual volume of 200,000 tons of BDO, which is used to make spandex, synthetic leather and polyurathan.

The BDO plant will be SK’s third petrochemical project with Sinopec. SK built a solvent factory with an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons with Sinopec in Shanghai in 2004. SK is also pushing for an ethylene plant project with an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons in Wuhan, on which the Chinese government is expected to give final approval within this year.

A joint venture of BP and Sinopec will build the acetic acid plant and Sinopec will construct the ammonia plant.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)