High-quality development of the petrochemical industry requires the completion of five strategic tasks

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Source: China Chemical Industry News, Sinochem New Network. On May 9, the 2018 Petrochemical Industry Development Conference, hosted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, was held in Beijing. More than 600 representatives from the **National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, petrochemical industry associations, chemical parks, and enterprises gathered together to discuss the main pathways for high-quality development in the industry as well as the key tasks related to transformation and upgrading. Li Shousheng, president of the Petrochemical Federation, emphasized that industrial transformation and upgrading is a crucial step toward becoming a powerhouse in the petrochemical industry. In the new era, industry-wide structural adjustments must focus on completing five key strategic tasks. 　　First, it is necessary to seize the strategic opportunities presented by the reshaping of the global energy landscape for China’s new energy development. By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, efforts should be made to develop a number of world-class new energy technologies, thereby increasing the share of new energy in the overall energy supply. Second, efforts should be made to seize strategic opportunities for overtaking competitors in the field of new chemical materials in China, with a focus on achieving new breakthroughs in specific areas where China has relative advantages, such as polyurethane materials, engineering plastics, specialty engineering plastics, silicone materials, organofluorine materials, specialty rubber materials, and functional membranes for water treatment. Third, efforts should be made to develop upgraded models for the growth of modern coal chemical industry in China. The modern coal chemical industry must pursue large-scale and centralized development, with rational planning and layout for projects related to the comprehensive utilization of carbon dioxide as well as modern coal chemical applications, aiming to achieve greater breakthroughs in areas such as product structure, environmental protection, and resource utilization. Fourth, it is necessary to be brave in taking on responsibilities and strive to make greater contributions to green development. By the end of 2018, it is aimed to reduce energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial added value, carbon dioxide emissions, and water usage across the entire industry by 8% compared to the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, with all enterprise pollutant emissions meeting the required standards. Fifth, it is necessary to fully launch a journey of advancement for chemical industrial parks in China. By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the goal is to establish 5 to 8 new industrial demonstration zones that are dominated by the petrochemical and chemical industries and possess global influence, as well as a number of chemical industry bases with competitive advantages in terms of industry development. 　　When discussing the transformation and upgrading sowie high-quality development of the petrochemical industry, Lu Weisheng, deputy director of the Industry Coordination Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, emphasized that the chemical industry is not inherently a polluting industry; what’s important is to manage it properly. By drawing on the development experiences of petrochemical powerhouses and the governance processes in domestic industries such as papermaking, China’s petrochemical sector can also significantly enhance its level of greenness and intelligence through 10–15 years of focused efforts. In this process, it is necessary to use measures such as policy guidance, environmental inspections, and market regulation to stimulate enterprises’ enthusiasm and initiative for high-quality development. At the same time, the entire industry needs to coordinate the layout of the industrial chain and the overall strategic planning, and accelerate transformation and upgrading in line with the actual market conditions in the coming period and the goal of producing more high-end chemical products. 　　Pan Aihua, deputy director of the Raw Materials Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that in order to promote the high-quality development of the petrochemical industry, the ministry will focus on tasks such as the relocation and renovation of hazardous chemicals enterprises, addressing weaknesses, the development of industrial parks, the integration of information technology and manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, the management of hazardous chemicals, the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, as well as international exchanges and cooperation in the coming period. 　　The plenary session of the Petrochemical Industry Development Conference was chaired by Fu Xiangsheng, vice president of the Petrochemical Federation. During the conference, 5 sub-forums were held on 4 themes: intelligent manufacturing, oil and gas, green development, and market and innovation. The participants discussed topics such as the construction of smart factories and intelligent industrial parks, market analysis of energy and chemical products, the development of downstream petrochemical products, industry transformation, upgrading, and green development, as well as crude oil futures. The meeting also solicited opinions on the public announcement of the \"Catalogue of Green Petrochemical Processes (2018 Edition)\". 　　A closed-door meeting at the industry level, attended by representatives from **relevant departments and enterprises, held fruitful discussions on two topics: enterprise relocation and strategic restructuring, as well as the upgrading of the petrochemical industry.