County in C China's Henan turns rock salt into high-value chemical industry chain

河南一县：岩盐变身高附加值化工产业链

Photo shows a salt storage warehouse at Henan Pingmei Gas Storage Salt Chemical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Pingmei Shenma Group, in Yexian county, central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Song Fangxin)

河南叶县：河南平美储气盐化股份有限公司的储盐仓库（中国平煤神马控股集团下属企业）。 （人民网 宋芳鑫）

Yexian county in central China's Henan Province sits on vast underground reserves of rock salt and coal — resources it once relied on selling as cheap, low-value raw materials. Today, the county is turning that legacy into a comprehensive chemical industry cluster.

中国中部河南省叶县地下蕴藏丰富的岩盐、煤炭资源——过去当地依靠售卖廉价低附加值的原材料谋求发展。如今，当地正把这份家底转化为综合性化工产业集群。

The county's proven rock salt reserves exceed 330 billion tonnes, ranking among the largest in China. "In the past, we mostly extracted raw salt and sold it at low prices, with an underdeveloped industrial chain and little added value," said Su Zheng, head of the county's industry and information technology bureau.

全县岩盐探明储量超过 3300 亿吨，规模位居全国前列。“以前我们主要开采原盐低价售卖，产业链不完善，产品附加值低。”该县工业和信息化局局长苏峥说。

Polycarbonate products are packaged for shipment at a workshop of a polycarbonate materials company in Yexian county, central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Xin Jing)

在河南省叶县，一家聚碳材料有限公司生产车间，聚碳酸酯产品正被包装，准备发运。（人民网 辛静）

The turnaround began with industrial chain expansion. At the county's advanced manufacturing development zone, industrial salt produced by Henan Pingmei Gas Storage Salt Chemical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Pingmei Shenma Group, is processed into chlorine gas and caustic soda.

产业转型从产业链延伸开启。该县先进制造业开发区内，河南平美储气盐化股份有限公司（中国平煤神马控股集团下属企业）产出的工业盐，经深加工制成氯气、烧碱。

Caustic soda is then transported to another subsidiary of the group, where it is used to synthesize high-value polycarbonate (PC) pellets. The process increases the material's value from 300 yuan (about $44.43) per tonne to more than 10,000 yuan, with the pellets later used in products such as eyeglass lenses, car headlight covers and high-speed train windshields.

烧碱继而输送至集团另一家下属企业，用以合成高附加值聚碳酸酯（PC）粒子。该工序将产品附加值从每吨300元（约44.43美元）提升至万元以上。该粒子可加工为眼镜镜片、汽车前灯罩、高铁挡风玻璃等产品。

Smart equipment runs at full capacity at a cord fabric production workshop in central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Song Fangxin)

在河南省的一个帘子布生产车间，智能设备满负荷运转。（人民网 宋芳鑫）

Caustic soda is also used to extract battery-grade lithium carbonate for the new energy sector, while chlorine gas is utilized to produce pharmaceutical intermediates.

烧碱还用于制备电池级碳酸锂，供给新能源产业，而氯气则用于生产医药中间体。

Underground salt caverns, valued for their airtight and pressure-resistant properties, are also being developed into natural gas and hydrogen storage facilities.

地下盐穴气密性、耐压性能优异，当地正将其改造为天然气与氢气储存设施。

At the Pingdingshan nylon new materials development zone in the county, hydrogen and steam from the salt chemical process are piped to a nylon deep processing industrial park, where coal and benzene are processed to produce nylon 66 salt, chips and industrial yarn — later woven into cord fabric used in aircraft tires, ship cables and other products.

该县平顶山尼龙新材料开发区内，盐化工产出的氢气、蒸汽经管道输送至尼龙深加工工业园。园区利用煤炭与苯生产尼龙66盐、切片和工业纱线，纱线后续织制成帘子布，用于飞机轮胎、船舶缆绳等产品。

An aerial view of "China Nylon City" in central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Song Fangxin)

河南：“中国尼龙城”鸟瞰图。（人民网 宋芳鑫）

One industry's success is lifting others. As the salt chemical sector surges ahead, the county's coal-based nylon industry and equipment manufacturing sector are rising in tandem, each reinforcing the other.

一个产业的发展带动其他产业。随着盐化工产业蓬勃发展，该县煤基尼龙化工产业和装备制造产业齐头并进，相互促进。

The 50,000-tonne adiponitrile project of China Pingmei Shenma Group has broken a long-standing foreign technology monopoly. Meanwhile, locally produced nylon 66 dipped cord fabric is now used in aviation and shipbuilding, supporting high-end manufacturing. Local manufacturer Henan Loncin Motorcycle Co., Ltd.'s smart workshop can weld a motorcycle frame in three minutes, with exports continuing to grow.

中国平煤神马集团5万吨己二腈项目打破国外长期的技术垄断。同时，本地生产的尼龙66浸渍帘子布现已用于航空与船舶制造，支撑高端制造业。本土企业河南隆鑫摩托车有限公司智能车间三分钟便可焊接摩托车车架，企业出口规模持续扩大。

Photo shows nylon technology and chemical facilities in Yexian county, central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Xin Jing)

河南叶县：尼龙产业配套化工设施。（人民网 辛静）

In 2025, Yexian county advanced 40 major industrial projects with combined investment of 24.9 billion yuan.

2025年，叶县推进40个重大产业项目，项目总投资达249亿元。