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The petrochemical industry has a large economic scale and high levels of industrial interconnection, playing an important role in stabilizing economic growth and ensuring the security of energy as well as supply chains. Recently, seven departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the \"Action Plan for Accelerating the Renovation and Modernization of Old Facilities in the Petrochemical Industry (2026–2029)\") to comprehensively advance the upgrading of old facilities in this industry and foster its high-quality development. Our country is the world’s largest producer and consumer of petrochemical products. By 2025, the added value of the petrochemical industry will account for 13.7% of the total industrial output, and its production capacity for more than 20 types of basic chemicals such as refined oil and ethylene ranks first in the world, playing a crucial role in stabilizing the industrial economy. Chang Guowu, Director of the Raw Materials Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explained that there are over 27,000 manufacturing enterprises of a certain scale in China’s petrochemical industry. Some of the facilities built earlier had relatively low design and construction standards, outdated processes, and limited levels of automated control, which results in significant safety and environmental risks, unreasonable layout, and low operational efficiency. Accelerating the renewal and modernization of old facilities in the petrochemical industry is an important measure to eliminate safety and environmental risks at their source, as well as an effective way to improve the technical level of equipment in this industry and foster the development of new forms of productive capacity. The Action Plan clearly states that by 2029, the tasks related to the upgrading and renovation of old facilities in the petrochemical industry, which were set out for 2025, shall be fully completed, while a long-term working system for continuous improvement and enhancement shall be established. To achieve these goals, the Action Plan outlines six tasks: conducting ongoing surveys and assessments, formulating renovation plans, promoting quality improvement and upgrading, optimizing project management, ensuring proper acceptance procedures, and strengthening the role of standards in providing guidance. The petrochemical industry is a key sector for atmospheric pollutant emissions; in particular, its emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) rank first among industrial sectors, making it a field with relatively large potential for emission reduction. Zhang Haolong, deputy director of the Department of Atmospheric Environment at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said that the \"Action Plan\" is closely integrated with efforts related to the prevention and control of air pollution in the petrochemical industry, working in tandem with those efforts. At the target level, focus on achieving synergies in pollution reduction and carbon emission cuts ； At the task level, emphasis is placed on source control and performance-driven approaches ； At the regional level, strengthen key efforts and provide exemplary leadership. Next, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will work closely with relevant departments to guide local authorities in carrying out assessments, formulating plans, implementing environmental access regulations, as well as conducting supervision during and after projects are carried out. It will focus on key areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and its surrounding areas, urging them to complete the upgrading and transformation tasks first, so as to ensure the effective implementation of the Action Plan. As the backbone of China’s petrochemical industry, central petrochemical enterprises have a large number of old facilities, resulting in an urgent need for upgrades and renovations. Gui Gang, deputy director of the Planning and Development Bureau of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, explained that the commission guides and encourages central state-owned enterprises to carry out reforms wherever necessary, and to accelerate the upgrading of old chemical processing facilities. Central petrochemical enterprises have responded actively by conducting a comprehensive assessment of their older facilities. They have developed renovation plans tailored to each enterprise and each facility, aiming to replace older units with newer ones. Between 2024 and 2025, over 280 billion yuan was invested in equipment upgrades, yielding significant results. Next, central state-owned enterprises will be urged to carry out the renovation of old petrochemical facilities with greater intensity and speed. To gain an understanding of the status of old industrial facilities, in 2025 the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with four other departments, issued a notice urging local authorities to conduct assessments of petrochemical and chemical plants that have been in operation for over 20 years. For these old facilities identified through such assessments, evaluations were carried out to determine whether they needed to be upgraded or renovated, in accordance with relevant industry policies as well as standards and regulations related to work safety, environmental protection, and energy efficiency. The preliminary assessment work has been completed in all regions; over 1,600 sets of old equipment have been reported, and more than 600 of these sets require upgrading or renovation, mainly in the traditional chemical industry. Chang Guowu said that in the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will work together with relevant departments to provide greater policy support, strengthen guidance on local efforts, and promptly coordinate solutions to the difficulties encountered in the progress of these tasks. Provincial-level authorities responsible for industry and information technology should, in conjunction with relevant departments, supervise and guide enterprises in carrying out tasks related to upgrading and transformation. Localities are encouraged to formulate appropriate support policies based on their specific circumstances, so as to effectively implement the Action Plan in a thorough and practical manner. (Reporter Lai Chichun)