Dazhou: Uncovering “underground treasures” to become a hub for industry

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As a city rich in resources, Dazhou in Sichuan has reserves of marine lithium and potassium-rich minerals amounting to 710 million tons. Within an area of 1,116 square kilometers, the estimated reserves of lithium and potassium-rich brine amount to about 2.1 billion cubic meters. The new type of mixed halite deposits found beneath this brine contain more than 700 million tons of potassium sulfate； The proven reserve of natural gas is 3.8 trillion cubic meters, while the explored reserve is 720 billion cubic meters. Leveraging its resource endowments, Dazhou is using the Puguang, Binlang, and Maliu chemical industrial parks as its main hubs to accelerate the transformation of natural gas and lithium-potassium resources from \"underground treasures\" into \"industrial hubs\". With the implementation and commissioning of a number of major projects worth tens of billions, a modern chemical industry system characterized by vertical integration and interconnected supply chains is rapidly taking shape in northeastern Sichuan. The Puguang Chemical Industrial Park was designated as part of the second batch of provincial-level chemical industrial parks in June 2022, with an initial designated area of 361.1276 hectares; after expansion and adjustments, the total area became 436.9262 hectares. The park focuses on the development of natural gas chemistry, sulfur-based chemicals, and integrated lithium and potassium processing. The park focuses primarily on three industries: natural gas chemicals, sulfur-based chemicals, and the integrated development of lithium and potassium resources, as well as new energy storage technologies. It boasts development advantages characterized by \"one abundance, one excellence, and one large scale,\" and currently hosts 16 enterprises. The project investment amounts to 60 billion yuan; once fully built and put into operation, it is expected to generate an annual output value of 85.6 billion yuan and annual tax revenues of 7.1 billion yuan. The Maliu Chemical Industrial Park was approved by the provincial government in October 2024, with an area of 304.1722 hectares. It is the youngest industrial park in Dazhou, focusing on the development of three main industries: the first is energy chemical production that makes use of primary coal coking products (coke oven gas) as raw materials ； The second is new chemical materials whose development focuses on the integration of steel metallurgy exhaust gases with chemical processes ； Third is the brine-based chemical industry that utilizes lithium and potassium resource waste salts (sodium chloride), enabling a shift from traditional basic chemicals to high-end fine chemicals, new chemical materials, and the new energy sector. The industrial park has already attracted a number of projects, including a production facility for new types of phosphate-based cathode materials, a new material industrial park capable of producing 100,000 tons of conductive carbon black per year, and a production facility for modified methanol fuel (in Dazhou) with an annual output of 1.7 million tons. The total investment in these projects amounts to around 16.6 billion yuan, with an estimated annual output value of around 15 billion yuan. At present, the park plans to sign contracts for 2 projects, with an investment of 2.3 billion yuan, and the expected annual output value is 1 billion yuan. The Binlang Chemical Industrial Park covers an area of 545 hectares and focuses primarily on the fields of fine chemicals derived from natural gas, phosphate chemicals, and the new energy industry related to lithium batteries. It emphasizes the development of products such as fine phosphates, lithium iron phosphate, lithium battery electrolytes, polycarbonates, and downstream products of fluorine-based chemicals. In 2024, the output value of the energy and chemical industry in this park accounted for nearly 40% of the total industrial output value of the entire region; industries such as natural gas–synthetic ammonia–urea and polycarbonate were developed there ； Sulfur, phosphate rock—phosphoric acid—phosphates, ammonium phosphate ； Three major chemical industry chains: natural gas + coke oven gas—methanol—dimethyl ether, etc. To date, 38 enterprises have settled in this industrial park, including 27 companies in the fields of energy and chemicals as well as new materials. Among them are 12 top 100 companies in the industry such as Wengfu, Jiuyuan Chemicals, Daxing Energy, and Foster. The park has also successfully attracted two projects worth over 10 billion yuan each, namely the Fengchao Energy Dazhou Lithium Battery Zero-Carbon Industrial Park and Jiuyuan New Materials. The goal is to achieve an output value of over 50 billion yuan by 2027.