Guidelines for the standardization of chemical industrial parks released for the first time

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On December 11, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in interviews with reporters regarding the newly issued \"Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Standardized Development of Chemical Industrial Parks,\" said that these guidelines were designed to foster a positive interaction between the development of the chemical industry and the process of new urbanization, thereby achieving safe, green, and sustainable development in this sector. This is the first comprehensive guiding document issued by our country to regulate the development of chemical industrial parks. A relevant official from the Petrochemicals and Chemicals Division of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology told reporters that following the \"8·12\" accident in Tianjin, the ministry launched a program to relocate chemical enterprises in areas with dense urban populations, prompting chemical companies across the country to accelerate their efforts to move into designated industrial parks. However, the development level of chemical industrial parks in our country varies greatly. To truly improve the intrinsic safety levels of enterprises that are relocated, it is urgent to standardize the development of these chemical parks. Therefore, the Guidelines put forward requirements for the standardized development of chemical industrial parks in seven aspects: scientific planning, strengthening project management, enhancing safety management, promoting green development, advancing the deep integration of industry and information technology, improving supporting services, and strengthening organizational management. The Guidelines specify that it is strictly prohibited to establish industrial parks in ecological red-line areas, nature reserves, drinking water source protection areas, prime farmland protection areas, and other environmentally sensitive zones. Chemical industrial parks must develop overall park plans and industrial plans; the industrial plans shall be reviewed by experts and submitted to the local industry and information technology authorities. Strict scrutiny must be applied to projects entering the park. The Guidelines require the establishment of an evaluation system for projects entering the park, whereby experts are organized to conduct a comprehensive assessment of aspects such as land utilization efficiency, technological advancement, safety risks, pollution control, energy consumption, resource utilization, and economic benefits. In accordance with the Guidelines for Industrial Structure Adjustment, the Guidelines for Foreign Investment Industries, and the Guidelines for Industrial Transfer, projects that are supported and encouraged are permitted to enter the park; the establishment of new production capacity in categories that are restricted is prohibited, while outdated manufacturing processes or products are to be phased out. The Guidelines require strengthening project management through measures such as conducting evaluations of projects entering the park, establishing mechanisms for industrial upgrading and withdrawal, taking on projects related to industries moving out of cities and into parks, and controlling investment intensity. It is specifically stated that by 2020, the land investment intensity in parks at the provincial level and above should be no less than 2 billion yuan per square kilometer. The Guidelines emphasize the control of safety risks; parks that have been built and put into use should undergo a comprehensive safety risk assessment every 5 years. Large parks or those located near residential areas are encouraged to adopt closed-management systems. By 2020, 80% of parks at the provincial level and above will have emergency rescue command centers established. Regarding the deep integration of informatization and industrialization, the Guidelines propose establishing information-based public service platforms in industrial parks and encouraging the development of smart parks. It is reported that next year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will seek to use special funds to support the intelligent transformation of chemical parks, and will launch pilot projects for smart chemical parks aimed at improving the parks’ inherent safety and environmental protection standards, while encouraging key enterprises within these parks to build smart factories. After the issuance of the Guidelines, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will, together with the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, establish a comprehensive evaluation system for chemical industrial parks to regularly assess the standardization level of these parks.