Shandong requires hazardous enterprises to must \"enter zones or parks\"”

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It was learned from a press conference held by the **News Office of Shandong Province that the **Office of Shandong Province has recently issued and implemented the \"Opinions on Strengthening Safety, Environmental Protection, and Energy Conservation Management to Accelerate the Transformation and Upgrading of the province’s chemical industry,\" requiring hazardous enterprises to \"operate within designated areas or parks.\" According to Qian Huantao, director of the Shandong Provincial Economic and Information Commission, Shandong is a major chemical industry province. For 24 years, its economic output and economic efficiency have ranked first among similar provinces across the country. It serves as an important base for the chemical industry in China. In 2014, there were 4,465 chemical manufacturing enterprises of a certain scale in the province, which generated main business revenues of 3 trillion yuan, taxes and profits of 328.6 billion yuan, and profits of 182.4 billion yuan. These figures represent approximately one-fifth of the total for industrial enterprises of that scale in the province and for the entire chemical industry in China. While the chemical industry in Shandong is developing rapidly, there are also many issues that need to be addressed urgently. The main issues include: some enterprises fail to meet standards regarding safety, environmental protection, and energy consumption; their management staff lack sufficient expertise in chemistry as well as experience in production management; the spatial layout is not adequate – some chemical enterprises are not located within designated industrial zones, while others are surrounded by urban communities, leading to situations where chemical industries encircle towns and villages; the issue of inadequate implementation of enterprises’ responsibilities regarding safe production remains serious, among other problems. Qian Huantao explained that Shandong will adhere to the principles of \"safety first, prevention foremost, and comprehensive management\", as well as the priority given to environmental protection and energy conservation. In line with the goals and targets set out in the province’s chemical industry development plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the province will use measures to crack down on illegal activities and violations, along with assessments related to safety, environmental protection, and energy efficiency, to gain a clear understanding of the situation, create lists of issues, implement targeted actions, and carry out regulatory measures in accordance with the law. The aim is to optimize the structure of the chemical industry and accelerate the establishment of a modern chemical industry framework. Through three years of comprehensive efforts, the safety standards in the province’s chemical industry have seen significant improvements, environmental protection capabilities have been greatly enhanced, achievements in energy conservation and consumption reduction have improved markedly, and the pace of industrial transformation and upgrading has accelerated. As a result, the chemical industry has gradually developed into an important pillar industry that is safe, clean, green, low-carbon, integrated, and innovative, making new contributions to the sustainable and healthy development of the province’s industrial economy. To effectively prevent accidents related to work safety and environmental pollution, the \"Opinions on Strengthening Safety, Environmental Protection, and Energy Conservation Management to Accelerate the Transformation and Upgrading of the Chemical Industry across the Province\" require that **chemical enterprises must locate themselves in specialized chemical industrial parks (clustered areas). In principle, they should complete the process of relocation, change of production activities, or closure by the end of 2018; those that are unable to do so must relocate to locations that are closer to such parks. At the same time, raise the entry barriers for chemical projects. The establishment of new chemical projects that fall under the categories of those to be phased out or subject to restrictions is strictly prohibited. In principle, no new expansion projects with an investment amount of less than 100 million yuan will be approved (or registered).