Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia step up efforts in the development of modern coal chemical industries

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Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia are stepping up efforts in the development of modern coal chemical industries. Author/Source: Huahua Network – Coal Chemicals. Date: 2018-02-01. Clicks: 24. Recent reports from Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia indicate that the traditional coal-producing regions in the “Three Wests” areas (Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Western Inner Mongolia) are accelerating their industrial transformation efforts, focusing on the development of high-end energy chemicals. While reducing coal production capacity, these regions are also working to establish regional clusters for the energy chemical industry. 　　 On January 31, the first session of the 13th Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress concluded. Liu Guozhong, acting governor of Shaanxi Province, stated in his **work report that this year efforts should be accelerated to promote industrial transformation and upgrading, focus on the development of key projects, and build competitive advantages for the entire modern energy and chemical industry chain in northern Shaanxi. The \"Report on Shaanxi Province’s National Economic and Social Development Plan for 2018\" states that 600 key construction projects were planned for 2018, with a total investment of 4,390.6 billion yuan. Among them, there are 12 ongoing large-scale modern coal chemical projects and 7 new projects that have started construction. 　　 Li Chunlin, a deputy to the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress and acting mayor of Yulin, said in an interview that Yulin adheres to the \"three transformations\" policy: transforming coal into electricity, converting coal-based electricity into industrial products that can store energy, and turning coal, oil, gas, and salt into chemical products. At present, companies such as Yanchang Petroleum, Yankuang Group, Shenhua Group, Shaanxi Coal Group, and China National Coal Group are operating and building a number of large-scale energy and chemical projects in Yulin. The capacity and technical standards of these projects rank among the best in the country, but there is still much room to develop them into world-class high-end energy and chemical hubs with complete industrial chains. Next, Yulin will continue to pursue the path of resource transformation, industrial upgrading, and a shift in development patterns. This year, Yulin City will launch 7 high-end energy and chemical projects, with a total investment of over 200 billion yuan, aiming to build a regional energy and chemical industry cluster. 　　 Shanxi, a traditional major coal-producing province, is also exploring expansion into the energy and chemical industries. The first session of the 13th Shanxi Provincial People’s Congress proposed that by 2022, the share of the added value of Shanxi’s coal industry in GDP should be reduced from 15% to 11%, while the share of the added value of emerging industries in the total industrial added value should increase from 9% to 16%. Efforts will be made to promote the clustered and integrated development of emerging industry clusters such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, coalbed methane, and modern coal chemical industry. 　　 Bao Xiaolin, the head of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, also stated in the regional development report that Inner Mongolia is working to transform its mode of development, promote the conversion and value addition of resources, and upgrade traditional industries. At present, the proportion of coal-based power and coal chemical integration across the province has exceeded 90%. 　　 The work report of Ordos City states that this year efforts will be made to secure approval for projects such as the Huaxing coal-to-gas project, the Xinmeng coal-to-gas project, and the new energy plans related to the power transmission corridor from Shanghaimiao to Shandong. Additionally, progress will be made on the construction of projects like Shenhua’s second and third coal direct liquefaction facilities, Guodian Investment’s olefin production facilities, and the E’an-Canggas pipeline. In addition, the city will launch a three-year action plan to enhance the overall competitiveness of the coal industry, supporting large coal enterprises in unlocking their advanced production capacity. It will also accelerate projects such as Shenhua’s alumina production from fly ash, Yitai’s 2 million tons per year coal-to-oil facility, Beikong’s 4 billion cubic meters per year coal-to-gas plant, and Jiutai’s 600,000 tons per year methanol-to-olefins plant. It is expected that 1.1 million tons of high-end coal chemical production capacity will be added this year.