Energy saving and carbon reduction are issues that cannot be avoided in the ceramics industry. In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the direction of national environmental protection policies and the new rules and challenges brought about by new policies are all related to the life and death of ceramic enterprises. Some ceramic companies are unable to reduce carbon emissions due to insufficient funds and have been or are being eliminated. At the same time, many ceramic companies are seeking transformation by rebuilding lithium battery production lines, deploying photovoltaics, and building new intelligent production lines.
Ceramic Industry to 2030
Construct a number of green and low-carbon production lines
Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Carbon Peaking in the Industrial Sector" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan").
The "Plan" clearly states that by 2025, the energy consumption of added value of industrial units above designated size will drop by 13.5% compared with 2020, the decline in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of industrial added value will be greater than the decline in the entire society, and the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions in key industries will decline significantly. As a typical representative of high energy consumption industries, the building and ceramics industry occupies a large amount of space.
In terms of further promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction: Promote electric boilers, electric kilns, electric heating and other technologies in key industries such as casting, glass, and ceramics, carry out high-temperature heat pumps, high-power electric thermal energy storage boilers and other electric energy substitutions, and expand electrification terminals The proportion of energy-consuming equipment used.
In terms of actions to reach the peak of key industries: accelerate the application of energy-saving and consumption-reducing technologies in industrial kilns such as full oxygen, enriched oxygen, and electric fusion, and promote energy-saving and carbon-reducing equipment such as ceramic dry powdering. By 2030, the level of substitution of raw materials and fuels will be greatly improved, breakthroughs will be made in low-carbon technologies such as glass melting furnace external preheating and furnace hydrogen energy calcination, and a number of green and low-carbon production lines with synergistic effects of pollution reduction and carbon reduction will be built in ceramics and other industries. , to realize the industrialization demonstration of kiln carbon capture, utilization and storage technology.
In terms of actions to improve the supply of green and low-carbon products: Incorporate carbon emission indicators of products such as ceramics, cement, glass, lime, and wall materials into the green building materials standard system, and accelerate the promotion of green building materials product certification. Carry out the creation of green building materials pilot cities and green building materials to the countryside, and promote the priority selection of products that have obtained the green building materials certification mark. Promote energy-efficient air conditioners, lighting fixtures, elevators and other energy-consuming equipment, and expandClean energy equipment such as large solar water heaters, distributed photovoltaics, and air heat pumps are used in the construction field.
In terms of policy guarantee: build a standard measurement system. Accelerate the formulation and revision of mandatory national standards for energy consumption limits and product and equipment energy efficiency, improve energy efficiency and energy consumption requirements for key products, and expand coverage. Establish and improve the carbon peak standard system in the industrial sector, focusing on formulating standards in basic general, carbon emission accounting, low-carbon process technology and other fields. Strengthen the implementation of standards and promote the evaluation of standard implementation effects. Encourage all regions to formulate stricter local standards based on actual conditions and in accordance with the law. Actively cultivate advanced group standards and improve the standard acceptance mechanism. Encourage industry associations, enterprises, standardization agencies, etc. to actively participate in international standardization activities and jointly formulate international standards.
The "Plan" focuses on energy-saving and carbon-reducing technologies in the ceramic industry, enabling the industry to further improve energy utilization efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. It is worth mentioning that the "Plan" also emphasizes that the ceramic industry will rebuild a number of green and low-carbon production lines by 2030, and encourages regions to formulate stricter local standards based on actual conditions and in accordance with the law. It is foreseeable that local governments will become more stringent on pollution reduction and carbon reduction requirements for production lines in the ceramics industry, which is a wake-up call for companies that have not yet completed the "coal-to-gas" transition.
Qingyuan starts elimination mode
Which ceramic companies can survive the test?
Previously, local governments have launched different measures to promote energy conservation and carbon reduction. Among them, which attracted the attention and hot discussion among ceramic people is the news that "the number of ceramic production lines in Qingyuan will be cut by more than half within 5 years."
Recently, the "Qingyuan City's Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Outline of Long-term Goals for 2035" published on the website of the Qingyuan People's Government clearly stated that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, ceramic production lines will be controlled within 70 . As of July 2022, after Qingyuan City completes the "coal-to-gas" conversion, there are still 151 production lines. This also means that the number of ceramic production lines in Qingyuan will be cut by more than half within five years, and the elimination mode is about to begin.
The current construction and ceramics industry in Qingyuan is not optimistic either. Relevant data from the Qingyuan Bureau of Industry and Information Technology show that from January to May, the city's industrial added value above designated size was 26.41 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease1.6%, the growth rate dropped 4.4 percentage points from the first quarter. Although the construction and ceramics industry grew by 1%, ceramics companies generally reported that natural gas prices have risen sharply, production costs have increased, and profit margins have been compressed. Although the current natural gas price has dropped from the peak stage at the beginning of the year, many ceramic companies in the Qingyuan production area are still reducing production due to factors such as weak sales in the terminal market and overcapacity in the industry.
These various influencing factors are prompting ceramic enterprises to transform and upgrade, technologically transform their production lines, and focus on the development of high value-added products to adapt to the current industry situation.
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Ceramic companies are looking for new ways out
Survival of the fittest is a necessary stage for the healthy development of the construction and ceramics industry. If ceramic companies want to gain a foothold in market competition, they not only need to transform and upgrade, but also need to "jump out" from the inherent business development ideas.
On August 3, the high-end medium-plate wide-body kiln of Shandong Yuanfeng Group built by Delitai was successfully ignited. This production line mainly produces high-quality medium plate products with a specification of 400×800mm, with an output of 28,000 m²/day. After being put into operation, it will become a representative modern medium plate full-glazed professional production line in North China. In addition, ceramics companies such as Oceano, Hongsheng, Yongying, and Gongbao will also build new or technologically transform new lines.
The new development direction of lithium battery ceramic enterprises. Many ceramic companies in Yifeng, Shanggao, Gao'an, Jiangxi and other production areas have converted ceramic tile production lines into lithium battery production lines. According to public filing information, 21 ceramic production lines in Jiangxi production areas have registered technically modified lithium battery products this year, involving a total of 9 ceramic companies, including Jiangxi Jingcheng Ceramics, Gaoan Bode Ceramics, Jiangxi Jinli Ceramics, and Jiangxi Ganhong Ceramics. , Jiangxi Xinyang Ceramics, Jiangxi Rongwei Ceramics, etc., with a total of 21 production lines.
Earlier, many leading ceramic companies have discovered the new development opportunity of lithium batteries. In March this year, Lanzhou New District and Guangdong Hongyu Group Co., Ltd. held a "cloud signing" ceremony for a 200,000-ton anode material project. The total investment in the project reached 5.3 billion yuan. The 200,000-ton graphitization device and 200,000-ton anode material project signed this time has a total investment of 5.3 billion yuan and covers an area of about 2,000 acres. When the project is completed, it is expected to achieve an output value of more than 8.5 billion yuan.
In addition to lithium batteries, the layout of distributed photovoltaic power generation has also become one of the best choices for ceramic companies. Faced with the dilemma of "surge in gas prices" and "difficulty in using electricity", many ceramic companies are hoping to use "photovoltaic power generation" technology to alleviate the dilemma.
On August 2, Hubei Baojiali Ceramics Co., Ltd.’s rooftop distributed photovoltaic project opened a bidding process. According to the bidding announcement, the maximum bidding price for Hubei Baojiali is 170.3833 million yuan, and one supplier is invited to bid. The project is required to be completed within 60 days from the date of signing the contract. Previously, more than 480 ceramic factory rooftop photovoltaic projects have been registered and approved, and a total of 340 ceramic companies have planned to build "self-produced and self-used, and surplus electricity grid-connected" photovoltaic power generation projects.
It is not difficult to see that under the general trend of the national "double carbon" goal and dual control of energy consumption, ceramic enterprises have also realized that if they do not change, they will only fall into the position of being eliminated. Therefore, some ceramic companies may switch to the new energy industry, or increase their efforts in the application of low-carbon clean energy such as photovoltaics.
