After numerous setbacks, the environmental impact assessment for the 16.3-billion-yuan coal-to-oil project was finally approved

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After numerous setbacks, the environmental impact assessment for the 16.3-billion-yuan coal-to-oil project was finally approved. Author/Source: Date: 2017-10-17 Clicks: 46 The 1-million-ton-per-year coal-to-oil demonstration project in Ili, Xinjiang, with a total investment of 16.3 billion yuan, faced penalties twice for starting construction before obtaining approval; after many difficulties, its environmental impact assessment was finally approved recently. On October 16, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued on its official website the \"Approval on the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Yitai Yili Energy Co., Ltd.’s 1 million tons per year coal-to-oil demonstration project\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"Approval\"), granting principle approval for the environmental assessment of this project. According to the latest environmental impact assessment for this project conducted in October 2016, it is located in the Yinan Industrial Park of Chabuchar Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, within the Ili River Valley area. The total investment in this project amounts to 16.3 billion yuan, and its production capacity is 1 million tons per year. It represents the first phase of the coal-to-oil project that forms part of Yitai Ili Energy Co., Ltd.’s 5.4 million tons per year coal-to-oil project. The project utilizes local coal resources and employs technologies such as water-coal slurry gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce 1 million tons per year of petroleum products and other chemicals. The main products of the project are Euro V diesel, naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas, as well as by-products such as light alcohols, heavy alcohols, and sulfur. 　　 According to information published on the official website of the Xinjiang Environmental Protection Department, construction of this project began as early as June 2011; the area in front of the factory and the warehouse areas have been completed. Construction of the production area started in July 2014, and civil engineering work has also been carried out for the air separation workshop, gasification workshop, boiler room, and water purification workshop. On November 3, 2014, the Xinjiang Environmental Inspection Corps issued a decision regarding environmental violations, ordering the company to stop construction and to obtain approval for the environmental impact assessment documents by November 15, 2014. However, as of December 24, 2014, the project had still not submitted an environmental impact assessment document to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. On April 3, 2015, the Xinjiang Environmental Protection Department issued an administrative penalty decision ordering the suspension of construction until approval for environmental impact assessment was obtained, and imposed a fine of 200,000 yuan. 　　 According to the official website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in its response to Proposal No. 1739 from the 12th National People’s Congress, the ministry accepted the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Yitai Ili Energy Co., Ltd.’s 1 million tons per year coal-to-oil demonstration project on December 10, 2015, and subsequently forwarded it to the Environmental Engineering Assessment Center of the ministry for technical evaluation. The evaluation center organized experts to conduct an on-site inspection of the project on December 28, 2015, and held a technical evaluation meeting in Yining City the following day. The expert group believes that, first, the project site is located in the upstream recharge area of the groundwater source used for centralized water supply in towns and villages, where shallow groundwater is prone to pollution. The report fails to clearly define the environmental protection objectives for groundwater in the factory area and its affected zones, and the measures taken for groundwater protection and risk mitigation are inadequate. Second, atmospheric environmental impact assessment has shortcomings in terms of evaluation standards, evaluation factors, and pollution prevention measures; meteorological data and parameters related to atmospheric forecasting need further adjustment and supplementation. Third, the project is located in the Ili River Valley, and water environment risk incidents could have a significant impact on the Ili River; the environmental risk analysis and public participation aspects in the report are insufficient. In light of the above issues, the report requires further analysis, justification, and revision; meanwhile, the project must meet the requirements of the \"Environmental Access Requirements for Modern Coal Chemical Industry Projects (Trial)\“. 　　 On January 13, 2016, the Ministry of Environmental Protection received an application from Yitai Yili Energy Co., Ltd. requesting a delay in submitting the revised environmental impact assessment report for the 1 million tons per year coal-to-oil project. On January 27, the Ministry of Environmental Protection approved the extension request. On November 9, 2016, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that it would once again consider the environmental impact assessment for Yitai Ili Energy Co., Ltd.’s 1 million tons per year coal-to-oil demonstration project. On January 18, 2017, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that it intended to review the environmental impact assessment for this project. Nine months later, on October 16, the official website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced its approval of the environmental impact assessment. The approval states that the project generally meets the requirements of the \"Environmental Access Requirements for Modern Coal Chemical Industry Projects (Trial)\“. There are already many chemical industry projects in the Ili River Valley area, as well as those that are planned to be built there. In accordance with the requirements of environmental quality management and the needs of this project, the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture has formulated a plan for reducing pollutants in the region. The approval document states that the implementation of this project will have certain adverse effects on the environment; therefore, it is required to \"ensure the stability of coal quality and production processes, strictly implement various measures for pollution control and ecological protection, and adopt the strictest environmental risk prevention measures, environmental management systems, environmental monitoring, and emergency response procedures.\" http://img.yf116.cn/image/img/20171017/1640206002097.jpg