On the vast Gobi Desert in Hami, Xinjiang, an industrial transformation related to China's energy security is quietly accelerating. After the start of the 8.58 billion yuan coal clean utilization project of Xinjiang Huineng Company, another "giant" project - Xinjiang Zhongtong Jirui 12 million tons/year coal quality utilization co production LNG project, has officially entered the stage of environmental impact assessment publicity. This not only marks the high-end path of China's coal chemical technology towards "eating dry and squeezing clean", but also means that the Hami region is accelerating the construction of a billion dollar coal chemical industry cluster, becoming an important pivot of the country's western energy strategy.

17 billion investment to build a super factory

Recently, Xinjiang Zhongtong Jirui Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd. officially released the "Second Public Announcement of Environmental Impact Assessment for Xinjiang Zhongtong Jirui 12 Million Tons/Year Coal Quality Utilization and Co production LNG Project". This behemoth with a total investment of 17 billion yuan is located in Hongshan Industrial Park, Naomaohu Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xinxing City, 13th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, with a construction nature of new construction.

According to the public announcement, the project scale is astonishing: it will construct a 6 million ton/year coal preparation plant, a 12 million ton/year coal quality utilization co production LNG unit, a 530000 ton/year continuous gasification hydrogen production unit of blue charcoal pure oxygen, a 2.2 million ton/year coal tar hydrogenation to produce naphtha unit, and a 1.4 million ton/year continuous reforming of naphtha to produce aromatics unit. The entire project will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase constructing a 4 million tons/year coal quality utilization and co production LNG plant; The second phase covers all remaining facilities and coal preparation plants.

From burning coal to consuming it completely

The core highlight of this project lies in its disruptive technological path. Traditional coal utilization is often inefficient, but this project combines coal quality utilization to produce LNG and by-product hydrogen, which is then processed into naphtha from coal tar and further produces high-value aromatic hydrocarbons. This full industry chain layout has truly achieved the "exhaustion" of coal resources and completely changed the old model of coal as a single fuel.

This means that we are not only producing bulk energy products, but also extending to the downstream fine chemical industry. Industry insiders analyze that the 530000 tons/year hydrogen production unit and 1.4 million tons/year aromatic hydrocarbon unit equipped in the project produce the most important basic raw materials in the chemical industry. This deep processing mode not only increases the added value of the product, but also significantly enhances the project's risk resistance and profit potential, enabling the enterprise to maintain competitiveness even when energy prices fluctuate.

Hami rises as a new energy landmark

The implementation of this project is not only a commercial activity of a single enterprise, but also a key milestone in the transformation and upgrading of the coal chemical industry in Hami region and even the entire Xinjiang region. At present, Hami City is committed to building a modern coal chemical industry system that is high-end, diversified, and low-carbon. This project is highly aligned with the regional development direction.

It is worth noting that in the same region, the 15 million tons/year coal clean and efficient utilization project invested by Xinjiang Huineng Company with 8.58 billion yuan is also under intense construction. The combination of these two billion dollar projects will quickly form a strong economies of scale, attracting more upstream and downstream supporting enterprises to gather in Harbin. In the future, this will no longer be a simple coal production base, but a complete industrial chain cluster that integrates coal mining with dozens of chemical products such as LNG, hydrogen, naphtha, aromatics, etc., becoming a true "new energy landmark" in western China.Editor/Yang Meiling