Strictly prevent overcapacity in the coal chemical industry

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On August 25, the “2010 China International Coal Chemicals Exhibition and China International Coal Chemicals Development Forum” was grandly opened in Beijing. More than 100 domestic and international exhibitors from countries such as the United States, Germany, France, and China brought the world’s most advanced coal chemical technologies and equipment. 　　The reporter learned from the \"2010 China International Coal Chemicals Development Forum\" that in 2009, the petroleum and chemical industry achieved an industrial output value of 6.63 trillion yuan, accounting for 13.2% of the country’s total industrial output value. It is worth noting that in recent years, China’s annual growth rate of oil consumption has been as high as 6.8%. In 2009, the country’s net oil imports amounted to nearly 200 million tons, resulting in an external dependence rate of 51%. It is estimated that by 2020, China’s oil consumption will reach around 500 million tons, with an external dependence rate of 60%. 　　“As the petroleum and chemical industries develop rapidly, they are facing the prominent problem of shortages in energy and resources. ”Li Yongwu, president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, said at the meeting that pursuing a path of diversified development in energy and resources is an inevitable choice for us. 　　“Compared to China’s oil and natural gas reserves, coal resources are relatively abundant. Based on this characteristic of resource endowment, the petroleum and chemical industry must take into account national conditions, leverage its strengths while addressing its weaknesses, and carry out adjustments to the structure of industries, products, and raw materials. ” 　　According to Li Yongwu, through decades of effort, the coal chemical industry has made significant progress in transitioning from a traditional sector based on products such as coke, calcium carbide, and coal-based fertilizers, to a modern coal chemical industry focused on petroleum substitutes. In 2009, China ranked first in the world in terms of the production capacity and output of key products in this industry. Domestic companies have also made substantial advances in their pilot projects for producing oil and olefins from coal. 　　What should be noted is that, while the coal chemical industry has been developing rapidly in recent years, it has also encountered some concerning issues. “Some, disregarding the carrying capacity of resources, ecosystems, and the environment, have shown tendencies toward blind planning and competitive development of coal chemical projects. At the same time, there is a growing trend of uncontrolled expansion in the production of petroleum substitutes such as coal-based methanol and dimethyl ether. There is an oversupply of capacity for traditional coal chemical products like calcium carbide and coke. Additionally, some companies are using the pretext of building coal chemical projects to seize and exploit coal resources. ”Zhu Hongren, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, warned that these trends will have an adverse impact on the development of the coal chemical industry. 　　In this regard, Zhu Hongren suggested that to develop the coal chemical industry, it is necessary to strengthen management of industrial development, carefully plan the regional development and industrial layout of coal chemicals. At the same time, priorities for development should be determined based on the national economic situation and market supply and demand; efforts should be made to encourage the production of products such as coal-based fertilizers, while steadily developing petroleum substitutes like methanol, dimethyl ether, olefins, and coal-derived oil. The development of energy-intensive products such as calcium carbide and coke should be regulated.