China Ceramics Network News (Author: Huo Haolin) Speaking of environmental protection, it is really not easy at all! It cannot be overemphasized to say that it is important, that its contribution lies in the contemporary era, and that its benefits will last for generations to come. But in reality, how to control the intensity of environmental protection is not easy.
If the method is too soft, chopping flesh with a dull knife is insignificant. Not only will the masses have opinions, but the leaders will be criticized, and the effect will be minimal. If the means are too heavy-handed, not only the interests of enterprises will be damaged, but also the wealth created over the years may be destroyed in one war, which will affect the economy and political performance.
When a strong man breaks his arm, will his former glory be restored?
As we all know, ceramics is a high-profit industry. For more than 20 years, it has relied on selling bricks, which has made piles of gold and silver. However, it is also the mortal enemy of environmental protection, causing piles of pollution. Take the editor’s hometown - Nanzhuang Town as an example:
Since the first ceramics factory was put into operation in 1988, the development of Nanzhuang ceramics industry has mushroomed. According to statistics, by the mid-to-late 1990s, Nanzhuang had 75 construction ceramics companies and 400 production lines. Its production capacity accounted for 1/4 of the country and 1/8 of the world, making it the largest construction ceramics production base in the country. In 2002, Nanzhuang Town was crowned the “No. 1 Town of Building Ceramics in China” by the China Building Materials Industry Association and the China Building and Sanitary Ceramics Association.
It can be said that Nanzhuang completed the transformation from a purely agricultural town to a strong industrial town in just the first 20 years of reform and opening up. So far, no matter where I go in Foshan, as long as I say "I am from Nanzhuang", I will naturally be labeled as a "rich person".
They only know that Nanzhuang people have built mountains of gold and silver by building pottery. Little do they know that behind the huge wealth, they cannot conceal the increasing changes in the ecological environment and the pressure of rectification.
In 2006, the 10th Party Congress of Foshan City proposed that “for high pollution, high energy consumption, poor efficiency,"Unsafe industries must be eliminated resolutely even if they affect the economic growth rate." In this way, in four years, 75 ceramic companies in Nanzhuang were shut down and 62 were transferred to other companies, leaving only 13 companies that meet Guangdong Province's clean production standards.
“Coal to gas” – the winding Long March road
The development of Nanzhuang ceramics industry can be said to be a microcosm of the development of major ceramic production areas in China. The difference is that the government has different requirements and rectification efforts for environmental protection in response to the development conditions of different regions at each stage. different.
But when it comes to the most hard-core environmental protection policy, it should be the “coal-to-gas” policy that people complain about endlessly. These three words are light and fluttery, and they always bring traffic every time they are mentioned.
No! In 2019, it became an Internet celebrity word again. Recently, the General Affairs Department of the National Energy Administration issued a draft for comments on the "Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on resolving issues related to the promotion of clean heating such as "coal to gas" and "coal to electricity". Although it is just an opinion draft, many ceramic builders have already begun to figure out the government's intentions and make preparations in advance to avoid getting into trouble if they accidentally get into trouble.
After all, the documents issued by the government have become a mountain of pressure on the construction and ceramics industry! Looking back on the road of "coal-to-gas" transformation in various ceramic production areas over the years, it is really repetitive, tortuous, and miserable.
Shandong Zibo
Zibo is the earliest ceramic production area in China that switched entirely to natural gas production.
In 2016, Zibo responded to the national call for "coal-to-gas" and issued the "Zibo City Construction Ceramics Industry Precision Transition Work Plan", requiring all ceramics companies to change the use of water gas production to natural gas production.
The "Plan" mentioned that "ceramics construction enterprises will no longer be retained in the river urban planning area north of Zihe Avenue. Ceramics construction enterprises in other areas can voluntarily choose to upgrade and transform on site after meeting the standards." At the same time, in the ceramic In the Industrial Innovation Demonstration Park, all enterprises realize unified coal-to-gas production, unified flour milling,Uniform requirements for waste disposal.
The implementation of this plan will directly cut 500 million square meters of Zibo’s production capacity. According to relevant data, before 2016, Zibo had nearly 200 ceramic construction companies and more than 370 production lines. After a year of industrial rectification, 144 ceramic construction companies and 214 production lines were finally shut down.
The government's "one-size-fits-all" approach is like cutting flesh, cruel! In addition to the changes that can be seen from these data, Zibo that year also faced problems such as rising production costs, the departure of OEMs, and dealers losing confidence in the unstable production in Zibo production areas, which triggered concerns about the hollowing out of Zibo's ceramic industry. .
Fortunately, after three years of precise adjustment, Zibo has left behind a group of outstanding enterprises with strength and sustainable production, which has stabilized the focus of ceramic production.
Jinjiang, Fujian
Jinjiang is the first ceramic production area in the country to promote the "coal-to-gas" transition. As early as 2010, the Jinjiang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided that within three years, all ceramic construction companies in the city would phase out gas generators in batches within a time limit to replace natural gas. In 2013, the Jinjiang government announced that all 172 ceramic construction companies in the city had completed the transition from coal to gas.
But the good times did not last long. In May 2014, due to insufficient natural gas supply in the Jinjiang area of Fujian, ceramic companies were forced to suspend production. In order to ensure production, ceramic construction enterprises in Cizao and Neikeng towns are allowed to use water gas in stages from some of the gas generators that have not yet been dismantled. At the same time, subsidies must be provided to ceramic construction enterprises using natural gas based on the fuel cost difference.
According to statistics, more than 40 ceramic companies resumed the use of water gas at that time; since the use of natural gas, at least 1/3 of the production lines in the Jinjiang production area have been shut down. "Coal to gas" is really a "big test" for Jinjiang Ceramics. It not only increases the production cost of building ceramics, but also further erodes the originally meager profits of exterior wall tiles.moist space.
Faced with such pressure, some people asserted at that time that "in five years, there will be no more ceramics in Jinjiang." However, it is precisely because of the government's decision that the structural adjustment of Jinjiang's ceramic industry has been accelerated, some low-end, substandard, and weakly competitive companies have been eliminated, making room for the development of outstanding companies.
Jiajiang, Sichuan
Compared with the above two production areas, Jiajiang is close to natural gas production areas, so the use of natural gas has more advantages.
In 2017, the Jiajiang County Government issued the "Notice on Ceramic Enterprises to Stop Using Gas Generators", which requires ceramic enterprises to completely prohibit the use of gas generators with a diameter of less than 1.98m or their own modifications; use gas generators with a diameter of 1.98m or less; Ceramic enterprises with gas generators above m must shut down before June 30, 2017 and switch to clean energy such as natural gas.
In the process of promoting the "coal-to-gas" transition in Jiajiang, many companies have taken the initiative to suspend production for rectification; a very small number of forced shutdowns have restarted production after meeting the "coal-to-gas" ventilation conditions.
It is understood that although energy costs have increased by about 50% after switching to natural gas production, it still has advantages over other production areas.
In 2017, the price of natural gas in ceramic production areas across the country ranged from 2.6 to 4 yuan/m³, and in some production areas even exceeded 4 yuan/m³. Jiajiang adopts batch pricing. The price for consumption exceeding 5 million cubic meters is 1.75 yuan/m³; the price for consumption less than 5 million cubic meters and more than 2 million cubic meters is 1.95/m³; the price for small consumption is 1.95 yuan/m³. The selling price for 2 million cubic meters is 2.05/m³.
At present, with the advancement of the national "coal-to-gas" process, the advantages of Jiajiang ceramic enterprises have gradually become prominent. Their advantages in natural gas have made up for some of the disadvantages caused by rising raw material prices, thereby reducing production costs.
Hebei
Speaking of Hebei's "coal-to-gas" transition, it was truly a "Qiong Yao drama" between enterprises and the government. The twists and turns of love and hate finally came to a final decision this year.
In 2017, Shijiazhuang ordered 34 ceramic companies in Gaoyi, Zanhuang and Xingtang counties to complete natural gas transformation before September 30.
Result: Defeat!
On June 15, 2018, the People's Government of Zanhuang County, Hebei Province issued the "Notice on the Problem of Seven Ceramic Companies in Zanhuang County Failing to Convert Coal to Gas as Required by the Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team". It is clearly required that seven ceramic companies must complete the conversion from coal to gas before the end of the year.
Result: Defeat!
In addition, Handan and Xingtai have also issued strict notices many times, requiring ceramic companies to "change coal to gas", but the final results are not satisfactory.
In June this year, Hebei ceramics companies including Zanhuang and Gaoyi were once again required to complete the "coal-to-gas" transition by the end of June. Those ceramics companies that were unable to complete the "coal-to-gas" transition were unable to complete the "coal-to-gas" transition as scheduled. will be ordered to cease production. Faced with the "death threats" issued by the government, Hebei ceramic enterprises finally could not withstand the sharp swords again and again, and finally completed the natural gas transformation before June 27.
Although they were forced to complete the "coal-to-gas" transition, due to the current off-season market, the increase in production costs has had an impact on the capital chain of enterprises, and many enterprises are in the dilemma of whether to increase prices or not. middle. At the same time, most companies have chosen to stop kilns and production in order to reduce losses. Relevant people said that their "resumption of production is far away."
Green water, green mountains, blue sky and white clouds, we can look forward to the future
In addition to the above-mentioned regions, Shanxi, Guangdong and other places have also put "coal-to-gas" on their agenda. It is understood that companies such as Marco Polo Ceramics, White Rabbit Ceramics, and Nengqiang Ceramics have taken the initiative to “Coal to gas” is on the agenda.Among them, 10 production lines of White Rabbit Ceramics have been switched to natural gas production.
The government’s “one size fits all” approach is indeed effective, but some problems inevitably arise during the rectification process. Whether the government overestimates the "equipment" of natural gas or underestimates the difficulty of environmental protection, and wants to achieve success in one step by eliminating energy consumption and pollution, the contradiction between the two has always existed and has never been effectively resolved.
In addition, the closure of enterprises that do not meet the standards has caused workers originally engaged in ceramic production and some supporting employees to become "unemployed overnight". The problem of personnel transfer and resettlement cannot be solved, which has brought negative consequences to social stability. factors of instability. Liang Zhendong, general manager of White Rabbit Ceramics, said that there are differences in operation between the transformed production line and the traditional production line, and the departure and retention of workers are issues that companies should consider. At the same time, he also said that considering the unemployment problem of workers, White Rabbit Ceramics took the initiative to provide production training to workers and retain the original talent resources as much as possible.
Environmental protection is indeed difficult. Due to the shortage of natural gas caused by the rectification process, even people's daily use of gas cannot be guaranteed, and the construction and ceramics companies have even stopped production because of this. When the government consciously changes its "one-size-fits-all" approach, companies only dare to be in a dilemma outside the door. They want to know but are afraid to speak out. They want to understand but dare not come forward. For fear of "killing the first bird with one shot", they only dare to speculate secretly.
Therefore, in the process of rectifying environmental protection, the government and enterprises should have a platform suitable for communication and exchange, so as to avoid policy changes too fast, enterprises’ misunderstandings, and the time difference between enterprises’ acceptance, resulting in the connection between the two parties. Missing, accidentally hurting each other!
Generally speaking, "coal to gas" is not so terrible. Although it has indeed brought a lot of trouble to enterprises, industries and industries in a short period of time, the results it has brought are indeed long-lasting and growing day by day. I believe that in the future, there should be a scene like this: Chinese people look up at the sky, touch their bulging wallets, and sigh, "Hey, isn't it just a blue sky?"
