Jieyang to bolster industrial clusters

The construction of general, LPG and liquid bulk terminals in the South China Sea operational area in Jieyang, a coastal city in Guangdong province, will better integrate Jieyang port into the world-class port cluster of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, port and government authorities said.

"The projects will serve the high-quality development of Jieyang's trillion-yuan industrial clusters in green petrochemicals and marine equipment by elevating the port's handling capabilities," said Li Jinlong, vice-mayor of Jieyang.

Construction of the port facilities will facilitate the concentration of projects within the city's petrochemical industrial zone, one of the crucial petrochemical industrial bases in South China, according to Li.

"The port facilities will help extend, supplement and strengthen development of the green petrochemical industrial chain, which is a significant industrial platform for local economic development and innovative transformation," said Li.

Construction of the three terminals, with investments from the Guangzhou Port Group, began on Wednesday.

With an onshore tank area project for the liquid bulk terminal also being contracted and subsequent cooperative projects, the investment in Jieyang port will touch nearly 5 billion yuan ($695.16 million).

After the projects are completed, the annual cargo throughput capacity of Jieyang port will increase by over 15 million metric tons, providing about 220,000 cubic meters of new storage capacity, according to the port company.

The South China Sea operational area terminal, as the first batch of development projects for Jieyang port's public terminals, covers a comprehensive range of goods, including general cargo, containers, as well as liquefied petroleum gas and liquid chemical products.

"With its grand scale and high quality, the project represents a significant initiative for Jieyang to further strengthen its port and logistics sectors against the backdrop of the city's remarkable economic development over the past years," said Li.

The construction of the terminal projects and the contracted onshore tank area project for liquid bulk cargo, with an initial investment of 3.76 billion yuan, are key construction projects implemented by the Guangzhou Port Group in Guangdong in 2023.

The terminal projects will involve the construction of six large deep-water berths ranging from 50,000 to 70,000 tons and 56 units of 3,000-5,000 cubic meters of public storage tanks, according to the port company.

Specifically, the general terminal project, with a designed annual throughput capacity of nearly 10 million tons, is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The liquid bulk cargo terminal, with an investment of around 377 million yuan and a designed annual throughput capacity of 2.97 million tons, is scheduled to be completed by 2025.

The LPG terminal project, which will be finished by 2025, includes the construction of one 50,000-ton LPG berth and corresponding supporting facilities, with a designed annual throughput capacity of 3 million tons.

"We will help accelerate the development of Jieyang port into a modernized port with advanced facilities, efficient services, and topnotch management," said Li Yibo, Party chief and chairman of Guangzhou Port Group.

The company aims to support the construction of 2 trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters near the Jieyang port, promoting the coordinated development of the eastern Guangdong region and the GBA, according to Li.

The two pillar industries — green petrochemicals and the marine economy — in Jieyang accounted for 54 percent of the added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size in 2023, signaling a new pattern in the city's industrial development, according to the local government work report.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn