The environmental impact assessment documents for two coal-to-natural gas projects in Xinjiang have been approved by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment

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Recently, the environmental impact assessment documents for two coal-to-natural gas projects in Xinjiang were approved by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, marking an important step forward for Xinjiang’s modern coal chemical industry toward lower carbon emissions and cleaner operations. The two coal-to-natural gas projects proposed by Guoneng Xinjiang Coal-to-Gas Co., Ltd. and Xinjiang Tianchi Energy Co., Ltd. have a total investment of 34.08 billion yuan, with each project having an annual production capacity of 2 billion cubic meters. All projects are located in the Zhundong Economic and Technological Development Zone in Xinjiang. They employ advanced coal-to-natural gas production technologies, and incorporate low-carbon technologies such as green hydrogen integration and carbon capture and storage (CCUS), with the aim of achieving low-carbon and environmentally sustainable goals in the energy production process. [For details: Over 34 billion yuan – latest updates on two major coal-to-natural gas projects in Xinjiang] These projects are expected to produce 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually; this volume is comparable to that produced by China’s Deep Sea No. 1 gas field. Once the project is completed, it will be equivalent to creating a new \"gas field\" out of thin air in Xinjiang. Just how large is this amount? For example. In 2024, Jiangsu Province consumed 34.64 billion cubic meters of natural gas, with a population of 85.26 million people. These 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas are sufficient for about 10 million people in Jiangsu to use for a year. Among them, the Guoneng Xinjiang project has a total investment of 17.044 billion yuan; it is designed to use 4.6178 million tons of raw coal per year and 458,600 tons of fuel coal per year, and it is equipped with facilities for carbon dioxide capture, storage, and oil displacement with a capacity of 550,000 tons per year. The total investment in the Tianchi Energy project in Xinjiang is 17.039 billion yuan. The project is designed to use 5.3203 million tons of raw coal per year and 250,600 tons of fuel coal per year; it includes an electrolysis water-to-hydrogen production facility with a capacity of 15,000 cubic meters per hour, as well as facilities for capturing and storing 900,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Xinjiang is rich in coal resources, and it is currently accelerating the development of industrial clusters for the clean and efficient utilization of coal. This year, Xinjiang is actively promoting the development of the Zhundong **-level modern coal chemical industry demonstration zone and the Hami **-level modern integrated energy and industrialization demonstration zone. It is accelerating the construction of modern coal chemical projects such as coal-to-gas production in Zhundong and coal-to-oil production in Hami, with the aim of establishing a large-scale coal supply guarantee base as well as a strategic base for coal-based oil and gas production. Industry experts point out that through the use of technologies such as green hydrogen integration and carbon capture, these two projects will significantly reduce carbon emission intensity, which is of great significance for promoting the clean and efficient use of coal as well as fostering the integrated development of modern coal chemical industries with sectors such as green electricity and green hydrogen. Once in operation, the two projects are expected to process over 10 million tons of coal per year, producing clean energy sources such as pipeline natural gas and liquefied natural gas, as well as high-value by-products like naphtha and tar. The project not only improves conversion efficiency and reduces pollutant emissions, but also achieves near-zero carbon dioxide emissions.