BEIJING  -

* China's SINOPEC SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical Co Ltd (SSTPC), kicked off its ethylene expansion project on Oct. 14, the company said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

* The expansion project aims to boost SSTPC's ethylene annual capacity to 1.3 million tonnes from 1.0 million tonnes.

* The report, however, did not mention when the expansion project is expected to be completed.

* SSTPC is a Tianjin-based petrochemical firm jointly set up by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp and Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) in 2009.

* China, the world's top chemicals consumer, is building and planning a total of 15 ethylene complexes before 2023, in the biggest wave of petrochemical expansions in its history.  

(Reporting by Min Zhang, Shivani Singh and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Rashmi Aich) ((min.zhang@thomsonreuters.com; (8610) 5669-2105;))