Starting on March 20th, the largest sandstorm day in the north this year has hit. There are many areas in the north with blowing sand or floating dust weather, and some areas have sand and dust storms and strong sand and dust storms. Due to this impact, a large number of chemical enterprises have reduced production and stopped operation.

    The sandstorm has expanded to Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the central and western regions of Northeast China, and will continue to expand on the 23rd. At that time, more enterprises may join the production reduction force, and transportation will also be affected by it. Chemical enterprises can prepare in advance.

    Experts said that the dust storm originated in central Mongolia and northwest China, covering a wide range, with a maximum area of nearly 1 million square kilometers, and the current situation of the dust storm is still spreading. The sandstorm not only has extremely low visibility, but also has a direct impact on the operation and production of enterprises due to flying dust and floating dust weather. Industry sectors in multiple regions have also begun to limit production and reduce production.

    Jincheng Environmental Protection in Shanxi Province released a message that in order to effectively reduce the level of air pollution, it was decided to launch an orange warning (Level II) for heavily polluted weather from 12:00 on March 20, 2023. At the same time, a series of mandatory pollution reduction measures have also been announced.

    The coal chemical industry is limited to 30% of coal chemical enterprises. Suggested pollution reduction measures also include reducing the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) containing raw materials and products such as paints, paints, and solvents by the public. Stop holding various large-scale outdoor activities, etc.

    Due to this impact, three methanol plants in Jincheng, Shanxi Province have reduced their daily production by nearly 300 tons, while the remaining three methanol plants operate normally at their original load, with a limited overall impact of magnitude.

    Binzhou, Shandong Province, issued a risk early warning reminder, requiring strengthening construction management of projects under construction to ensure that no safety accidents occur. In key industries such as hazardous chemicals, industry, mining, and commerce, it is necessary to pay close attention to weather changes, accurately grasp strong wind forecast information, further refine practical work plans, and promptly and decisively take measures such as shutdown, production, business, shutdown, adjustment of operation time, or implementation of special control.

    In addition to the impact of sandstorms, there are not a few enterprises in the domestic chemical industry that have stopped production and reduced production. More than 30 chemical enterprises, such as Jiangsu Haili and Shida Shenghua, plan to shut down for maintenance, resulting in a total reduction of about 6 million tons of production capacity.

    According to incomplete statistics, in April, Sichuan Petrochemical, China South Korea Petrochemical, Zhenhai Refining and Chemical, Lanzhou Petrochemical, and Shenhua Ningxia Coal have planned to stop for maintenance, and even have more than 40 days of major repairs. The superimposed spring dust weather is still expanding, and it is expected that more enterprises will join the production reduction force, and transportation will also be affected. The supply volume in multiple segments will drop precipitously, and reasonable stock preparation to prevent stock out will become the mainstream behavior in the near future.