Action Plan for Accelerating the Renewal and Retrofit of Aging Equipment in the Petrochemical and Chemical Industry (2026–2029)
The petrochemical and chemical industry is a crucial foundational and pillar industry of the national economy, playing a vital role in stabilizing economic growth and ensuring the security of energy, industrial, and supply chains. To accelerate the renewal and retrofit of aging equipment in this industry, prevent and mitigate safety risks and hidden dangers, and promote high-quality development of the sector, this Action Plan is hereby formulated.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, coordinate high-quality development with high-level safety, and take intrinsic safety as the bottom line and quality/efficiency improvements as the goal for development. Led by the improvement of a standard system supporting scientific assessment and benchmark-based retrofitting of aging equipment in the petrochemical and chemical industry, we will strive to remove policy bottlenecks, implement list-based management, and advance the work on a regular basis. This will better stimulate the endogenous driving force of enterprises, continuously enhance the level of intrinsic safety, and promote the high-end, intelligent, green, and integrated optimization and upgrading of the petrochemical and chemical industry.
By 2029, the renewal and retrofit tasks for aging petrochemical and chemical equipment determined by various localities by 2025 will be fully completed, and newly determined tasks after 2026 will be advanced as planned. Safety and environmental risks of aging equipment will be significantly reduced, synergistic pollution reduction and carbon mitigation will yield positive results, the proportion of capacity superior to benchmark levels will significantly increase, and the level of intelligence and greenness will be substantially improved. The long-term working system of annual rolling surveys and assessments, along with continuous retrofitting and upgrading, will be continuously improved, and the standard-leading and policy-coordination effects will be further leveraged.
II. Work Tasks
(1) Conduct rolling surveys and assessments. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities, in conjunction with relevant departments at the same level, shall organize surveys of aging equipment, register production equipment that has been in actual operation for more than 20 years one by one, and form a list of aging equipment. Each piece of equipment on the list shall be assessed individually to determine whether its process technology, equipment, products, and production conditions regarding safety, environmental protection, and energy consumption comply with relevant laws, regulations, industrial policies, and standards (see Appendix 1 for the assessment scope and matters, and Appendix 2 for industrial policies and standards). For those failing to meet relevant requirements, disposal opinions such as overall new construction (reconstruction on the original site or relocation), retrofitting and upgrading, or elimination and exit (collectively referred to as renewal and retrofit) shall be proposed through enterprise appeals and expert reviews, forming a ledger for the renewal and retrofit of aging equipment. Equipment that has been in actual operation for less than 20 years but is deemed necessary for renewal and retrofit by relevant provincial departments or enterprises after assessment may also be included in the ledger for promotion.
In 2026, the work will be carried out according to the lists of aging equipment and the renewal and retrofit ledgers already determined by various localities in 2025. Starting from 2027, rolling surveys will be conducted annually to assess newly identified aging equipment. Equipment assessed as not requiring renewal and retrofit will be reviewed once every three years. For equipment undergoing renewal and retrofit, the first review may be extended to the sixth year after the completion of the retrofit. The list of aging equipment and the renewal and retrofit ledger shall be updated by the end of June each year.
(2) Formulate renewal and retrofit plans. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities, in conjunction with relevant departments at the same level, shall urge and guide enterprises included in the renewal and retrofit ledger to formulate "one enterprise, one policy" implementation plans, specifying retrofit measures, work objectives, and progress arrangements. Unless otherwise stipulated by national laws, regulations, industrial policies, and standards, the completion time for renewal and retrofit work shall, in principle, not exceed five years. Cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas ("2+36" cities) are encouraged to take the lead in completing renewal and retrofit tasks in combination with air pollution prevention and control priorities. Relevant matters determined in the Work Plan for the Elimination, Exit, and Renewal and Retrofit of Aging Chemical Equipment jointly issued by the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the State Administration for Market Regulation (Yingji [2024] No. 49) shall be implemented according to the original plan and requirements.
(3) Promote quality and efficiency upgrading. Enterprises undertaking renewal and retrofit are encouraged to benchmark against advanced industry levels to implement safety, green, and intelligent transformations, accelerating the promotion of advanced technologies and the updating and replacement of industrial software and industrial control systems. Priority-regulated hazardous processes shall be accelerated for full-process automation transformation or low-risk substitution. Green upgrading of production processes shall be promoted, encouraging enterprises to adopt clean production technologies and equipment for transformation and upgrading, strengthening synergistic governance of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation throughout the whole process, and promoting the "reduction" of industrial waste from the source. Overall new construction projects shall meet the advanced values of energy consumption quota standards or benchmark energy efficiency levels, and Environmental Protection Performance Level A as required. Strictly implement the total volume control requirements for major pollutant emissions; projects involving high energy consumption and high carbon emissions shall implement equal or reduced replacement of energy consumption and carbon emissions as required. Implement the Implementation Guide for Digital Transformation in the Petrochemical and Chemical Industry, promote digital transformation in a scenario-based and graph-based manner, encourage enterprises to carry out digital transformation maturity diagnostic assessments and technical renovations in combination with the renewal and retrofit of aging equipment, and cultivate a group of smart factories in a gradient manner.
Relevant enterprises shall strengthen the daily management of aging equipment operation, use digital means to monitor equipment corrosion, and strengthen equipment inspection and maintenance. During the implementation of renewal and retrofit, strict safety and environmental protection management must be enforced. Before dismantling production equipment, structures, and anti-pollution facilities, safety and environmental disposal plans for equipment and hazardous waste must be formulated in advance to prevent casualties and environmental pollution caused by dismantling activities.
(4) Optimize project management. When studying the layout of major petrochemical projects, priority support will be given to the retrofitting and upgrading of aging equipment for oil refining, ethylene, para-xylene, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), and coal-to-methanol. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities, in conjunction with relevant provincial departments, shall establish and improve green channels, strengthen factor guarantees, optimize the processing procedures for project filing (approval), environmental impact assessment, land use, water withdrawal, energy conservation review, carbon emission evaluation, and safety permits, improve the efficiency of review and approval, and accelerate project implementation.
(5) Conduct acceptance management. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities, in conjunction with relevant departments at the same level, shall urge and guide enterprises to complete the construction of renewal and retrofit projects according to the "one enterprise, one policy" plans. In accordance with the Work Safety Law and the Regulations on Environmental Protection Management of Construction Projects, enterprises shall organize acceptance inspections for projects requiring them. Relevant departments such as ecology and environment, and emergency management shall supervise and inspect the acceptance situation in accordance with laws and regulations. For overall new construction and eliminated equipment, it must be ensured that the original production equipment is de-functionalized, materials are disposed of strictly in accordance with relevant regulations, and equipment and pipelines are cleaned to standard. Where land is vacated, soil pollution status surveys must be completed in accordance with the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law and reported to the local ecological environment authorities in accordance with the law. For those failing to complete renewal and retrofit within the time limit or still failing to meet requirements after rectification, the production operation of the corresponding equipment shall be suspended in accordance with laws and regulations.
(6) Strengthen standard-leading support. Implement a special action to upgrade standards for aging petrochemical and chemical equipment, focusing on safety improvement, green transformation, digital and intelligent transformation, and performance upgrading. Formulate and revise a batch of standards for safety risk management, pollutant disposal and carbon emissions, energy consumption, intelligent manufacturing, equipment performance, and resource recycling. Form standards with stricter safety requirements, higher energy conservation and carbon reduction levels, and moderately advanced technical indicators, covering all requirements and links in the renewal and retrofit of aging petrochemical and chemical equipment, to comprehensively support and lead the renewal and retrofit work.
III. Work Requirements
(1) Strengthen organizational leadership. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities shall play a leading role in organizing surveys and assessments of aging equipment, compiling lists and ledgers, and urging and guiding enterprises to implement "one enterprise, one policy" plans, promptly consulting and coordinating to solve difficult problems in the advancement of the work. Development and reform, as well as Industry and Information Technology authorities, shall be responsible for assessing the compliance of industrial policies and energy consumption (efficiency) levels according to their responsibilities, and organize the implementation of renewal and retrofit for improving energy consumption (efficiency) levels. Ecological environment authorities shall be responsible for ecological and environmental risk assessments according to their responsibilities, organize the implementation of renewal and retrofit for improving environmental protection levels, and do a good job in environmental protection supervision during the renewal and retrofit process. Emergency management departments shall urge and guide enterprises to carry out safety risk assessments regarding external safety protection distances and safety production process technologies and equipment for hazardous chemicals according to their responsibilities, promoting enterprises to enhance their intrinsic safety levels.
Relevant departments of the State Council shall increase policy support according to their responsibilities and guide relevant localities and central enterprises to do a good job in the renewal and retrofit of aging equipment. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) shall guide central enterprises to formulate tackling plans and implement renewal and retrofit at a faster pace and with greater intensity. Relevant central enterprise headquarters shall actively fulfill their responsibilities as central enterprises, strengthen technical support and financial guarantees, and urge and guide their subordinate enterprises to complete the renewal and retrofit tasks with high quality and quantity according to the requirements of local relevant departments.
(2) Implement fiscal and financial support policies. Coordinate the use of existing policy funding channels such as the "Two New" initiatives, re-lending for scientific and technological innovation and technical transformation, to support the renewal and retrofit of eligible aging equipment. Leverage the role of relevant government investment funds to provide investment support for enterprises. Encourage financial institutions to implement targeted credit policies in accordance with industrial layout and capacity regulation directions, promote bank-enterprise matchmaking through credit market service platforms and the National Industry-Finance Cooperation Platform, and improve the quality and efficiency of financial services. Enterprises may enjoy current relevant support policies as prescribed during the renewal and retrofit process. Localities with conditions may use existing funding channels to support eligible renewal and retrofit of aging equipment. The annual assessment and evaluation of relevant central enterprises should appropriately consider the impact of the renewal and retrofit of aging equipment on operating performance.
(3) Strengthen supervision and implementation. Provincial-level Industry and Information Technology authorities, in conjunction with relevant departments at the same level, shall regularly schedule work progress, conduct tracking analysis and briefings, promptly summarize and promote typical experiences and practices, commend and incentivize solid work and significant results, and urge and rectify poor performance and lagging progress in a timely manner. Work progress shall be reported to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and the State Administration for Market Regulation every six months. The work progress for the first half of the year, along with the rolling updated list of aging equipment and the renewal and retrofit ledger, shall be submitted before July 31, and the full-year work progress shall be submitted before January 31 of the following year.
Appendices:
Scope and Matters for the Assessment of Aging Equipment
Industrial Policies and Standards for the Assessment of Aging Equipment
Appendix 1: Scope and Matters for the Assessment of Aging Equipment
I. Safety Assessment
(1) Scope of Assessment. Includes relevant enterprises under Category 25 (251, 2521 [only including chemical products produced from coal tar and coke oven gas in coking enterprises], 2522, 2523); Category 26 (261, 2621, 2622, 2623, 2624, 2629 under 262; 2641, 2642, 2643, 2644, 2645, 2646 under 264; 265; 2661, 2662, 2663, 2664, 2665, 2666, 2669 under 266; and 2684 [only including synthetic flavors and fragrances] under 268) of the National Economy Industry Classification (GB/T 4754—2017).
(2) Assessment Matters. Compare with relevant policy documents and standards to assess whether the external safety protection distances of aging equipment involving "Two Key Points and One Major Hazard" (hazardous chemicals under key supervision, hazardous chemical processes under key supervision, and major hazard sources) meet the requirements, and whether there are backward hazardous chemical safety production process technologies and equipment. Objects already included in the scope of the Work Plan for the Elimination, Exit, and Renewal and Retrofit of Aging Chemical Equipment jointly issued in June 2024 by the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the SASAC, and the State Administration for Market Regulation will no longer undergo safety risk assessments; the original elimination, exit, and renewal and retrofit plans and requirements remain unchanged. For those not listed in the elimination plan, other assessments must be conducted, and relevant equipment information must be filled in.
II. Other Assessments
(1) Scope of Assessment. Includes the scope of safety assessments, as well as 283 under Category 28, and 291 under Category 29 of the National Economy Industry Classification (GB/T 4754—2017).
(2) Assessment Matters. Compare with relevant policy documents and standards to assess whether the equipment (process technology, equipment, products) complies with industrial policy requirements, and whether the external environmental protection distances, pollutant emissions, energy efficiency, and energy consumption meet relevant requirements.
Appendix 2: Industrial Policies and Standards for the Assessment of Aging Equipment
