Will there be any changes in the industrial policy for the coal chemical industry?

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**Cai Ronghua, head of the Petrochemicals and Chemical Industry Division of the Department of Industrial Coordination under the National Development and Reform Commission, revealed at the \"2009 Industrial Development Analysis Meeting\" that the revised \"Petrochemical Industry Adjustment and Revitalization Plan\" will be officially issued in the near future――..... In response to a question from a participant regarding whether there would be any changes in the policies governing the coal chemical industry, Cai Ronghua said that over the next three years the focus will be on advancing the existing coal chemical demonstration projects; large-scale development of this industry will not take place. Only after these demonstration projects are completed will consideration be given to further development in this field, and appropriate controls may need to be implemented. ” The coal chemical industry demonstration projects currently underway in our country include Shenhua Baotou’s 600,000-ton per year coal-to-olefins project, Zhongtian Hechuang’s 3 million tons per year coal-to-dimethyl ether project, Xinjiang Guanghui’s 1 million tons per year coal-to-dimethyl ether project, China National Coal Group Heilongjiang’s 600,000 tons per year coal-to-olefins project, Datang Keqi’s 4 billion cubic meters per year coal-to-natural gas project, Datang Fuxin’s 4 billion cubic meters per year coal-to-natural gas project, and Ordos HuiNeng’s 1.6 billion cubic meters per year coal-to-natural gas project. At present, in some areas, ignoring the carrying capacity of water resources, ecosystems, and the environment, there is an overemphasis on the proportion of coal resources that should be converted, leading to a surge in coal chemical projects. In his speech titled “Ideas for the Adjustment and Revitalization of the Petrochemical Industry,” Cai Ronghua mentioned that “the enthusiasm for coal chemical industry development needs to be guided.” It is necessary to carry out coal chemical industry demonstrations in a steady manner, adhering to the principles of controlling the total production capacity, phasing out outdated processes, protecting the ecological environment, developing a circular economy, integrating energy and chemicals, and conducting energy efficiency assessments throughout the entire life cycle. Efforts must be made to curb the uncontrolled expansion of the coal chemical industry, with a focus on advancing existing demonstration projects such as those for coal-to-oil, coal-to-olefins, coal-to-dimethyl ether, coal-to-methane gas, and coal-to-ethylene glycol. ” Coal chemical projects are large in scale, require substantial investment, and have a significant impact on coal and water resources. If construction is carried out blindly, it will pose significant risks to the safe development of the industry, as well as having a negative impact on the local economic and social development. Do some large coal chemical projects use four to five thousand tons of water per year? ? It is equivalent to half of the runoff volume of a small river. Cai Ronghua added, “Over the past few years, we have emphasized the need to ensure proper support for coal chemical projects, and to plan and construct them in a rational manner based on the local availability of coal and water resources.” ”