Sinopec’s 600,000-ton coal-to-olefins project rejected in environmental impact assessment

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Sinopec’s 600,000-ton coal-based olefins project denied environmental approval Author/Source: Date: 2016-03-03 Clicks: 5 On March 1, 2016, the **Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a notice stating that the environmental impact assessment report for Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical (Guizhou) Co., Ltd.’s 600,000 tons per year polyolefins project was not approved, officially announcing that the project’s environmental impact assessment report would not be accepted. In November 2015, the **Ministry of Environmental Protection officially accepted the environmental impact assessment for this project. The following is the content of the Notice. Notice on the Refusal to Approve the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical (Guizhou) Co., Ltd.’s 600,000 tons per year polyolefin project
Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical (Guizhou) Co., Ltd.:
We have received your company’s request titled “Request for Submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical (Guizhou) Co., Ltd.’s 600,000 tons per year polyolefin Project” (Guizhou Energy Chemical [2015] No. 66). Upon review, the project and its environmental impact assessment report have the following main issues: First, the proposed site for the plant is located in an area with developed karst features; there are multiple faults within the plant area, as well as sinkholes and karst conduits. The site is approximately 200 meters above the Hongjiadu Reservoir, which is located 2 kilometers downstream, and there are underground passages leading to the reservoir, resulting in significant risks to the water environment. No effective measures for preventing water environment risks have been proposed, and the environmental feasibility of the project site requires further evaluation. 　　II. The total emission targets for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds in this project, as well as their sources, have not been determined; no alternative reduction plans have been established, which fails to meet the requirements of the Interim Measures for the Review and Management of Total Emission Targets for Major Pollutants in Construction Projects. 　　III. The prediction results for atmospheric environmental impacts exceed the allowable limits, and no effective pollution control measures or regional reduction plans have been proposed. The identification of environment-sensitive targets is unreasonable; no assessment has been conducted on the current status and future trends of characteristic pollutants such as fluorides, benzo[a]pyrene, and benzene derivatives in the atmospheric environment, which fails to meet the requirements of the \"Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment – Atmospheric Environment\" (HJ2.2-2008). 　　IV. The technical feasibility assessment of the wastewater treatment plan is insufficient. The reliability of technologies such as salt separation and desalination employed in the project, as well as the wastewater treatment measures for abnormal operating conditions, have not been sufficiently demonstrated. 　　V. The setting of the health protection distance for the project does not meet the standard requirements, and no reasonable emergency evacuation plan has been developed based on the population distribution in the surrounding area and the topographical conditions. The engineering analysis is inadequate; there is insufficient evidence to support the intensity of pollution sources, and some balance analyses as well as pollution sources have been omitted. 　　In light of the above issues, our department has decided not to approve the project’s environmental impact report. 　　Article 25 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Law stipulates that if the environmental impact report for a construction project is not approved, the construction unit shall not commence construction. Our department has entrusted the Southwest Environmental Protection Inspection Center and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Environmental Protection to carry out supervision and inspection. 　　If your company is not in agreement with the decisions contained in this notice, it may apply for administrative reconsideration to our department within 60 days from the date of receipt of this notice, or it may file an administrative lawsuit in accordance with the law within 6 months from the same date. 　　CC: Guizhou Provincial Department of Environmental Protection, Bijie Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Beijing Shihua Youhai Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., Southwest Environmental Protection Inspection Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Environmental Engineering Assessment Center. The first phase of Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical (Guizhou) Co., Ltd.’s 600,000-ton-per-year polyolefin project involves an investment of 18 billion yuan. The main construction activities include building a new 180,000-ton-per-year methanol plant, a 600,000-ton-per-year methanol-to-olefins (MTO) plant, a 300,000-ton-per-year linear low-density polyethylene plant, and a 300,000-ton-per-year polypropylene (PP) plant. In addition, utility systems, auxiliary facilities, storage and transportation facilities, as well as environmental protection facilities will also be constructed. All of the MTO, polyethylene, and polypropylene plants are intended to utilize Sinopec’s own technology.