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In April, the land of northern Shaanxi finally saw the fulfillment of spring’s promise. The Yulin Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yushen Industrial Zone) (hereinafter referred to as “Yulin ETDZ”) is already bustling with activity in the spring – at the construction sites of various projects in the Qingshui Industrial Park, the steel arms of cranes and construction vehicles moving back and forth are in constant motion, with sparks from welding interspersed with the rumbling sound of machinery. Over the past few days, reporters from China Chemical Industry News have conducted interviews in this **-level economic development zone and learned that the 2 projects worth hundreds of billions each, the 4 projects worth tens of billions each, as well as a number of advanced fine chemical projects, are taking advantage of the golden period for construction in spring to accelerate their development. A modern coal chemical industry cluster is thus emerging at a rapid pace. The leading enterprises are driving the advancement to a \"new level\": two projects worth 100 billion yuan each, namely the 15 million tons per year demonstration project for the clean and efficient conversion of coal into various products by Shaanxi Coal Group Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd., and the Shenhua Yulin Circular Economy Coal Comprehensive Utilization Project carried out by **Energy Group Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd. These two demonstration projects, with investment amounts exceeding 100 billion yuan each, are large in scale, have a substantial industrial footprint, strong production capacity, and a high level of planning. They hold great strategic significance for ensuring the energy security strategy, facilitating the effective integration of traditional energy sources with emerging industries, and establishing a low-carbon, green demonstration industrial chain based on coal, oil, chemicals, and new materials. The total investment in the second phase of the Shaanxi Coal Yulin Chemical’s project for clean and efficient conversion of coal into high-quality products amounts to approximately 176 billion yuan. Building on the foundations of the first phase, this project utilizes an integrated approach that combines coal pyrolysis with gasification, thereby producing more than 30 different end products in four main categories: high-value materials, battery electrolyte solvents, biodegradable materials, and special oils. This helps to further expand and enhance the industrial chain. Since the start of construction for Phase 1 of Stage 2 last year, it has now entered a critical phase in which civil work and installation proceed simultaneously at high speed. At the project construction site, 12,000 workers applied the overall construction principles of \"strictness, meticulousness, and control\" throughout the entire process. The construction workers coordinated the use of large-scale machinery in an orderly manner, with over 700 main pieces of machinery operating at full capacity; factory buildings and tower structures grew rapidly, just like shoots after a rainstorm. As of April 2, the dynamic compaction work across the entire plant has been completed; 95.7% of the pile foundation work has been finished. The length of underground pipelines installed exceeds 261,000 meters, 726,000 cubic meters of concrete have been poured, and 3.676 million cubic meters of earthwork have been removed. The steel structures that have been erected weigh 19,000 tons. 29 large-scale pieces of equipment have been successfully installed. The construction of the gasification framework, the air compression station building for the air separation unit, 13 substations, and 14 cabinet rooms has been completed, and the construction of the chimney shaft at the energy island has reached a height of 135 meters. Meanwhile, the Shenhua Yulin Circular Economy Coal Comprehensive Utilization Project is also advancing at a rapid pace. While the preliminary procedures are being expedited, the land leveling and dynamic compaction work for the entire site have been completed, as well as the foundation construction for the site where the heavy hydrogenation equipment will be assembled; excavation work for the utility trenches is currently being carried out in an orderly manner. In addition, four projects worth over 10 billion yuan each have also seen an acceleration in their construction: the Xinghua relocation project, Yueneng’s 1 million tons per year production facility for chemical new materials, Baijiarui’s 1.2 million tons per year production facility for formaldehyde and related processed products, and Guoneng’s 200,000 tons per year production facility for polyglycolic acid-based biodegradable materials (PGA). The main production facilities at Baijiarui have been completed and are now ready for trial production. Yulin Economic Development Zone is making every effort to advance the construction of the “2+4+N” major industrial projects, aiming to turn these two key projects into benchmark initiatives with strong market competitiveness, advanced technological innovation capabilities, leadership in their respective industries, and the ability to attract other industries to settle there, thus becoming benchmarks in the field of modern coal chemical industry both in China and around the world. The call to action for the final offensive has been given. “On March 11th, we launched the 100-day construction campaign.” The various participating units worked closely together to accelerate the construction progress, ensuring that the civil work would be largely completed by the end of June, creating the conditions necessary for soil-free construction, with equipment installation beginning in early July. ”Yang Yan, the chief commander of the Xinghua relocation and upgrading project, said. By the end of 2025, key tasks such as the completion of the pile foundation work for the entire plant and the tendering process for long-cycle equipment will have been finished. At present, the foundation work in the area in front of the factory has been completed above ground level; the pile foundations for some structures have been built, and work such as the installation of water and drainage pipes serta the casting of the gasification framework is progressing in an orderly manner. As the largest chemical industry relocation project in Shaanxi and a key provincial project, it involves the construction of facilities capable of producing 500,000 tons of synthetic ammonia, 860,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, 500,000 tons of nitro-based compound fertilizers, and 30,000 tons of high-purity electronic chemicals per year. This project not only preserves the advantages of traditional chemical manufacturing but also brings about upgrades in terms of scale, technology, and equipment. Upon completion, the project will not only fill the gap in the nitro compound fertilizer market in the Yulin area but also introduce electronic-grade nitric acid and ultra-pure ammonia, enabling deep integration and coordinated development with related industries in the park. Through resonance and coordinated efforts, just like Xinghua, the project developers in Yulin Economic Development Zone are seizing the golden season for construction, going all out to accelerate progress and making every effort to gain speed. By 2026, the construction of the 1 million tons per year high-end chemical materials plant owned by Shaanxi Yueneng Fine Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. will enter a critical phase where construction work gives way to installation tasks. The annual goal is to complete the installation of all major equipment; approximately 36,000 tons of steel structures, 3,165 sets of process equipment, and around 2.1148 million inches of pipelines need to be installed, making the construction task extremely challenging. On March 15, the company held a launch meeting for the special construction initiative for the \"first phase of installation,\" established a command center for this initiative, set clear targets for key milestones, and signed responsibility agreements at various levels, thus sounding the call to action for the project’s development. All EPC contractors are required to optimize their construction methods, allocate additional manpower and construction machinery, to ensure the completion of key tasks such as the installation of the plant’s steel structure and 80% of the process equipment for the main units by the end of June. Su Kai, deputy manager of the Engineering Management Department at Yulin Fine Chemicals Company, told reporters that since the installation of equipment began at the beginning of the year, the lifting of towers and the prefabrication of process pipelines have been carried out on a full scale; as of now, the overall progress rate is 42%. The green expansion project of Shaanxi Qingshui Yinquan Coal Industry Development Co., Ltd., which involves 600,000 tons per year of synthetic ammonia production, 1 million tons per year of urea-based compound fertilizers, as well as production of melamine, has also entered a critical phase in terms of civil engineering and installation work. Wang Yanjun, the company’s deputy general manager, said that they are aiming to complete the civil engineering works by August and the mechanical installations by the end of the year. To date, more than 10 pieces of equipment, including gasifiers, ammonia synthesis towers, shift gas scrubbers, and three main units, have been installed; the completion rates for the auxiliary infrastructure works and the chemical processing facilities are around 50% and 30%, respectively. To address the delay in the design progress, the company’s chairman took charge and went to the design institute to urge progress on the drawings, striving to ensure continuity in construction. Special task forces are working to act as a ‘service provider’ for these projects; the total investment in them amounts to 500 billion yuan, and all of them will be completed during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. By then, the Yulin Economic Development Zone will generate an additional 220 billion yuan in output value each year, achieving a historic breakthrough. The full-speed advancement of major projects relies on a first-class business environment to provide support. The reporter learned that the Management Committee of Yulin Economic Development Zone has established a special task force to ensure the progress of major projects, and has implemented a \"five-one\" project management approach as well as a mechanism for providing support and assistance throughout the project approval process. For example, the Xinghua relocation project, which commenced full construction in April 2025, efficiently completed over 20 key procedures such as registration, environmental impact assessment, safety assessment, and pre-approval for land use within 6 months, setting a new record for the fastest preliminary approval process for such projects. At the same time, Yulin Economic Development Zone incorporates project advancement efforts into the annual target responsibility assessments of various departments, outlines work plans in reverse order, and provides necessary support to ensure that progress is made according to the scheduled timelines. An innovative phased approach to issuing construction permits has been adopted, with online service portals for handling engineering projects established. Standard regional assessments covering 7+1 aspects are provided to enterprises free of charge, offering comprehensive support for project development. “One day in December 2025, we noticed that the readings on the water meter for the water used in construction activities at the factory were significantly different from the actual usage. Thinking it might be worth trying, we reported the issue to the water supply company under the management committee. I didn’t expect them to verify the information right away and resolve the issue on the same day. ”Xu Hongjuan, the person in charge of the construction of the Xinghua relocation and upgrading project, told reporters. “The staff of the working task force take the initiative to get in touch, regularly go to the site to provide follow-up support, which has significantly improved the efficiency of handling the preliminary procedures for the project; they also actively address various difficulties and issues that arise during the project’s construction. ”Su Kai told reporters that the Quality and Safety Supervision Station for construction projects in the economic development zone also visits the construction sites on a regular monthly basis to provide free inspection services for tower cranes and other equipment. Xu Haifeng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Yulin Economic Development Zone, said that making full efforts to advance the construction of major projects remains a key task for the development zone at present and in the future. The zone should continue to uphold the service spirit of being a dedicated host, take proactive actions and implement targeted measures. Aiming to become a provincial-level model area for business environments, it should deepen the pilot reforms related to the \"notification and commitment + concurrent approval + supervision during and after implementation\" approach for enterprise investment projects, fully implement the pre-approval system using \"red and blue stamps\", and explore phased approaches to issuing construction permits ； Advance the reform of \"standard plots,\" striving to achieve \"starting construction as soon as the land is obtained\" and \"issuing certificates as soon as the land is handed over.\"” ； A \"comprehensive project approval service window\" has been established to continuously improve parallel approval processes, further reduce the time required for enterprises to complete various procedures, and shorten the project construction timeline; this approach aims to foster the high-quality development of projects in the park through a first-class business environment. (Li Jun)