China to rein in coal chemical projects  

China will restrict the development of the coal chemical industry in coal scarce areas and focus on the demonstration role of the modern coal chemical industry, said Zhu Hongren, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to Hongren, some regions and enterprises blindly planned coal chemical projects, including coal-to-methanol and coal-to-dimethyl ether projects, regardless of the bearing capacity of local resources and environment. China’s traditional coal chemical industry, he said, should focus on structural adjustment and elimination of outdated capacity during the period of the Twelfth Five-Year Program (2011-2015) while the modern coal chemical industry should concentrate on demonstration projects, give full consideration to water resource, environment, market and transportation, and develop projects in the western area of China, which is rich in coal resources in a proper way. (August 27, 2010)