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Announcement on a major project in Xinjiang: An advanced “divine furnace” with a carbon conversion rate of 99% – Source: Coalification Network. Read this chapter in the Novel Reader to enjoy an immersive reading experience. On April 14, 2026, an announcement revealed new progress regarding an energy and chemical industry project located deep in the Junggar Desert in Xinjiang. The candidate for the EPC general contract for the gasification and shift units of Xinjiang Shanneng Chemical’s 800,000 tons per year coal-to-olefins project in Wuciwan, Zhundong, has been determined; China Tianchen Engineering Co., Ltd. came top with a bid price of 1.862 billion yuan (excluding taxes). The total investment in this project amounts to 20.858 billion yuan, and a key milestone will be reached in the spring of 2026. Viewed from above, the Wucaiwan mining area in Zhundong will, over the next few years, transform from a once quiet region into a hub where coal chemical technology is highly concentrated on a global scale. All construction entities have defined their own tasks, and the project layout is clear. While Tianchen Engineering Company is responsible for the gasification unit, China Five Rings Engineering Co., Ltd. handles the purification unit and the hydrogen production via water electrolysis system. China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. is in charge of constructing the methanol synthesis unit, while Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. (SEI) takes charge of the most critical processes, namely methanol to olefins (MTO) and olefin separation. The involvement of numerous leading design firms underscores the high technical level of this project. This project is not only a task assigned under the EPC general contracting model, but also a showcase for advanced coal conversion technologies. With coal resources currently relatively abundant, maximizing the conversion of coal into high-value industrial products relies on advanced process technologies. By reviewing the equipment list for this project, it can be seen that it incorporates some of the world’s best chemical engineering technologies. In the gasification stage, the project abandons traditional refractory brick gasifiers in favor of Shandong Energy’s OMB pulverized coal semi-waste boiler gasification technology. This technology was jointly developed by Shandong Energy and East China University of Science and Technology, and its first set of equipment has been tested in Lunan Chemical Industry. Data shows that the device performs excellently, with a carbon conversion rate of over 99%, and the proportion of useful gases remaining stable at above 92%. This means that the carbon element in coal is fully utilized, with almost no waste residue remaining. At the same time, this device enables \"lifecycle coal blending\" management, ensuring that the gasifier remains in optimal operating condition through data-driven approaches. To support the operation of the gasification furnace, Hangyang Group provides 3 sets of air separation units with a capacity of 80,000 Nm³/h. The air separation process is not a simple physical reaction; rather, it involves the precise extraction of oxygen under extreme cold and high pressure conditions to support the gasification reaction. During the purification and synthesis stages, the project adopts Linde’s low-temperature methanol washing technology to remove impurities from the syngas. Subsequently, the gas enters Davy’s SRC low-pressure synthesis unit to complete the conversion from syngas to methanol. The olefin unit is the core of the project, utilizing UOP’s MTO + OCP technology. This technology combines MTO and OCP (olefin cracking) technologies to improve the yields of ethylene and propylene and achieve efficient utilization of methanol molecules. In the polyolefin production process, advanced technologies from LyondellBasell are adopted: the 450,000 tons per year polyethylene plant uses the Hostalen ACP process ； The 450,000 tons per year polypropylene plant utilizes the Spheripol process, which is a globally leading PP processing technology; the licensed production capacity for this process has exceeded 25 million tons. Once the two plants with a production capacity of 450,000 tons each come online, they will supply the market with a large amount of high-quality polyolefin products. In addition to the in-depth expansion of the petrochemical industry chain, the project also includes the installation of alkaline electrolysis water hydrogen production facilities. Under the backdrop of the \"dual carbon\" goals, this large-scale coal chemical project has responded actively, with a long-term plan to build 120 green hydrogen systems in phases. This is an attempt to integrate traditional coal chemical industry with new energy sources, by using green hydrogen to partially replace hydrogen produced from coal, thereby reducing carbon emissions at the source. file:///C:/Users/%E5%BC%A0%E5%A4%A7%E5%8B%87/AppData/Local/Temp/ksohtml4784/wps1.png Competition in chemical projects is not only a contest of technology but also a competition regarding project duration and management. April 2026 has arrived, and the various contractors are advancing the projects as planned. According to the plan, December 31, 2027, is a key milestone, and the interim handover must be completed by then. This means that the construction team has less than two years to complete the work, during which they must lift tens of thousands of tons of steel, lay hundreds of thousands of meters of cables, and carry out construction activities in the extremely cold winters of Zhundong. If all goes well, by the winter of two years from now, this energy powerhouse, built with the help of companies such as Tianchen, Wuhuan, and Chengda and based on SEI’s four core elements, will move from the planning stage to actual construction. This large-scale factory located in Colorful Bay not only serves as a test of Shandong Energy’s ability to expand its industrial chain, but it also represents a comprehensive demonstration of China’s capabilities in integrated EPC services for the chemical industry. In essence, this is not merely an award announcement. Behind this is the OMB gasifier, which enables efficient utilization of coal resources through a 99% carbon conversion rate; it represents an integrated application of UOP’s and LyondellBasell’s advanced processes, and it is also a significant strategic investment of 20.8 billion in the future development of the modern coal chemical industry.