Reasons for limitations in the development of coal chemical industry

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Author/Source: http://china.chemnet.com date: 2009-4-13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the "Petrochemical Industry Revitalization Plan" that was approved in principle by the State Council not long ago, there is a provision that is particularly eye-catching, that is, "stop approving coal chemical projects such as coke and calcium carbide that simply expand production capacity, and resolutely curb the blind development momentum of coal chemical industry." If you compare this with another piece of information, * * The intention is more obvious. Since the end of 2006, * * After the National Development and Reform Commission released the "Draft for Comments on the Mid- and Long-term Development Plan for the Coal Chemical Industry," it has been nearly two and a half years since the official document has been released. Experts believe that in addition to technical considerations, the important reason why the "Medium- and Long-term Development Plan for the Coal Chemical Industry" failed to be released as scheduled is that domestic coal chemical projects have been on the rise in the past two years. Extending the release period can reduce the tendency of overheating to a certain extent. my country is rich in coal resources, and the development prospects of coal-based new energy are very broad. Today, when the dependence on foreign oil has reached more than 50%, the coal chemical industry, as an important way to replace oil, has a practical need for its existence. Especially in the transportation field, where the demand for refined oil is the largest, coal-to-oil replacement has greater development potential. According to current common estimates, as long as the oil price can remain above US$40 per barrel, the coal-to-oil replacement project will be significantly profitable. The "Draft for Comments on the Mid- and Long-term Development Plan for the Coal Chemical Industry" proposes that the total investment in my country's coal chemical industry from 2006 to 2020 is more than 1 trillion yuan. my country plans to build seven major coal chemical industry zones across the country, namely the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, East Mongolia, Heidong, Sulu, Henan, Anhui, Central Plains, Yunnan-Guizhou and Xinjiang. According to the draft plan, large-scale methanol, dimethyl ether, and coal-to-liquid production bases will be formed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Xinjiang, and eastern Mongolia. at the same time, * * Huge sums of money have been spent to build four major pipelines. These transmission pipelines will ensure that the planned new coal chemical energy can be continuously transported to areas in demand. With a trillion-dollar investment, seven major industrial zones and four major pipelines, why is the development of coal chemical industry cooling down so frequently? Incompatible with the resources and environment at the end of 2007, * * Zhang Guobao, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed out that the preparation of the "Medium and Long-term Development Plan for the Coal Chemical Industry" is of great significance to standardizing and guiding the healthy development of the coal chemical industry. Regarding "healthy development", he gave this explanation. The development of coal chemical industry must not only consider the rational utilization of coal resources, but also consider environmental capacity, water resources, market and other constraints. ； The development of coal chemical industry must comply with * * The requirements for energy conservation and emission reduction work require a comprehensive evaluation of the energy utilization efficiency of coal chemical products and the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on the environment from a full life cycle perspective. However, my country's resource characteristics are not conducive to the development of the coal chemical industry. Places with abundant coal are short of water, and places with abundant water are short of coal. Except for Yunnan, most of my country's major coal-producing areas lack water resources. This is a fatal flaw for coal chemical companies, because most coal chemical plants have a huge demand for water. Taking Shaanxi Province as an example, due to water resource constraints, Shaanxi Province decided to develop and utilize Wuding River surface water resources and build the Wanggedu Reservoir Project after investigation and verification to meet the water demand for the construction of chemical projects in Yuheng Coal Chemical Industry Zone. Yuheng Coal Chemical Industry Park is one of the largest coal chemical industry parks planned in Shaanxi Province, and its first phase project alone consumes a lot of water. It is understood that long-term solutions to water resources include the Yellow River Diversion Project, South-to-North Water Diversion, and water resource replacement. In addition to high requirements on water resources, most coal chemical companies have a large impact on the environment, which conflicts with the current situation of my country's vigorous promotion of environmental protection. Shu Zhaoxia, deputy chief engineer of Sinopec Research Institute of Economics and Technology, once said that environmental protection issues pose major challenges to the sustainable development of the coal chemical industry. * * Zhou Dadi, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, believes that my country's coal chemical industry is currently showing signs of overinvestment. In this regard, Shu Zhaoxia also said that currently more and more companies are involved in coal chemical projects, and the coal chemical industry is developing in a disorderly manner. In addition, the current coal chemical technology is relatively immature, requires large investment, and has a long yielding period, which have also become important factors limiting the development of the industry. Standardization, new type, and scale have become key words for development. Due to the dual impact of economic recession and plummeting oil prices, my country's coal chemical industry has been severely affected. After October last year, coal chemical products were unsaleable and prices dropped sharply, causing many coal chemical companies to suspend production. At the same time, the policy environment for coal chemical industry has become more stringent. Although the relevant details of the "Petrochemical Industry Revitalization Plan" have not yet been released, they have already begun to have an impact on many companies. Sun Weishan, director of the Industrial Development Department of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, believes that: “This regulation has little impact on projects that have been built and under construction, but has a greater impact on new projects. Due to the huge investment in coal chemical projects, many projects involve investments of tens of billions of yuan, so investors are now taking a wait-and-see attitude, waiting for further details to be released. ” “ * * The suspension of approval is for coal chemical projects such as coke and calcium carbide that simply expand production capacity, leaving a space for companies that do not simply expand production capacity, especially those that can solve the problems of water resource utilization and environmental pollution. * * It is still possible to approve it. ”Sun Weishan explained this. In this regard, Shu Zhaoxia suggested: * * The mid- and long-term development plan for the coal chemical industry should be market-oriented, coordinate planning, optimize layout, and standardize the development of the coal chemical industry with the goals of high energy efficiency, low water consumption, zero emissions, and increased production without increasing pollution. In addition to standardized development, new coal chemical industry and scale development have also become the development themes of the coal chemical industry in the future. The "Draft for Comments on the Mid- and Long-term Development Plan of the Coal Chemical Industry" shows that more opportunities for coal chemical industry in the future will lie in new coal chemical industries, namely coal-to-methanol, coal olefins, dimethyl ether and coal-to-liquids. The new coal chemical industry will achieve great development in the next 10 years. at the same time, * * The coal chemical industry policy is to promote industry integration, support industry leading enterprises, restrict small enterprises, and promote large-scale development. This is considered to be a good development opportunity period for leading enterprises that have already entered.