(Original title: Focus Interview | Why did the factory become a farm after ten years of uncompleted investment projects?)
Power supply is the basic condition for normal operation of enterprises. No enterprise is willing to settle in an industrial park where infrastructure is not guaranteed. But not long ago, a private enterprise reported that in 2012, they were invited by Zhumadian Yicheng District, Henan Province to invest 200 million yuan to build an auto parts industrial park, but they have been unable to carry out normal production for many years, because the electricity demand that was formally promised and included in the contract at the time of investment invitation was not guaranteed.
In an auto parts industrial park in Yicheng District of Zhumadian City, the reporter saw that there was no production scene in the industrial park. The workshop is empty, with only one or two production lines in the corner, and the equipment seems to have been out of service for a long time. It has been 10 years since Hengfeng Company came here to invest. These hundreds of acres of land are almost deserted, and many places are planted with wheat.
It is understood that this auto parts industrial park was once listed as a key industrial project in Henan Province. At that time, the goal was to become the largest auto parts production base in Central Plains. Then why is it like this? It also starts from an investment attraction 10 years ago.
In 2012, the People's Government of Yicheng District of Zhumadian City signed an agreement with Hengfeng Company to build an industrial park project with a total investment of 2 billion yuan, which will be carried out in three phases. The project is mainly engaged in auto parts casting and old motor vehicle dismantling. The first phase covers an area of 500 mu. It is planned to start in 2012 and be completed and put into operation in three years. In the investment promotion contract signed with the District Government, both parties agreed that Party A, namely the Yicheng District Government, would be responsible for the project land demolition and "five supplies and one leveling" to ensure Party B's electricity load and water and natural gas consumption, of which Li Baoliang was particularly concerned.
Li Baoliang, head of Zhumadian Hengfeng Wheel Materials Co., Ltd.: At that time, considering that our production process had such a heavy load on power consumption, forging, manufacturing, and some smelting furnaces, it was impossible to form an upstream industrial chain without high power.
According to the data provided by the State Grid Zhumadian Power Supply Company, the project is designed to produce 500000 tons of wheel materials, 6 million sets of steel tubeless car wheels, etc., and the expected power load is about 201 MW. At that time, the capacity of public substations in Zhumadian area could not meet the large power demand of the industrial park.
In order to meet the future 201 MW power load of the industrial park, a new 220 kV substation must be built locally. In August 2013, the enterprise completed the first phase of plant construction, but the substation was not started at this time. According to the investment invitation contract, it is the responsibility of Yicheng District Government to ensure the "five supplies and one leveling" of the industrial park. Yicheng District Government said in a fact sheet that, after the municipal and district governments coordinated with the municipal power department and obtained the consent of Hengfeng Company, a 220 kV substation was planned to be built in the park. Huayu Power Company, an industrial unit subordinate to Zhumadian Power Supply Company, would bear the construction costs and be responsible for the construction of the substation. After the completion of the substation, it would be repurchased by Zhumadian Power Supply Company.
Feng Lei, Party Secretary of Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, Henan Province: I don't know how to divide the work within the power enterprise, who will build it, and which department will build it. In our view, it is handed over to the power enterprise.
The District Party Committee and the District Government said that they had entrusted the task of building substations to the power enterprises. In September 2013, Huayu Power, a subsidiary of State Grid Zhumadian Power Supply Company, began to build a substation. However, in September 2014, when the substation was almost the last step of construction, the project was stopped. Why did the substation that was about to be completed suddenly shut down? Huayu Power said that they have invested more than 21 million yuan, and they are just acting as the agent for construction, and have been paying for construction.
Zhang Mocheng, General Manager of Huayu Electric Power Industry Co., Ltd.: We have no way to invest in this substation, but also to support the local economic development. We build this project on behalf of others. This project between Daiyi City and Hengfeng Wheel Factory was not invested by us, and it has nothing to do with the Electric Power Bureau.
The district government said that the task of the substation was entrusted to the power supply company, while the power supply company said that they were only responsible for the construction. Both sides have different opinions on who is the construction subject.
Zhang Pan, Office Director of State Grid Zhumadian Power Supply Company: If the city's key projects are planned early or notified to us early, we can be better when doing projects. No matter how many connections and one leveling, they can be implemented and included in the planning in the early stage.
According to the provisions of the Electricity Law of China, the construction and transformation planning of urban power grids should be included in the overall urban planning. Urban people's governments shall, in accordance with the plan, arrange land for substation facilities, transmission line corridors and cable channels. The substation is not in the planning of the local power grid, nor has it obtained the planning and construction permits necessary for the construction project. According to the person in charge of Huayu Electric Power Company, due to the lack of time, it was orally promoted by the urban leaders.
Zhang Mucheng, General Manager of Huayu Electric Power Industry Co., Ltd.: The construction is legal and compliant. At that time, it was not easy for the government to attract investment in a special period. The government guaranteed what you were asked to do. What you were asked to do ten years ago, the local government must vigorously promote. This is the government led.
Wang Yongsong, Director of Operation Department of Huayu Electric Power Industry Co., Ltd.: I haven't seen anything about project approval at present.
In a hurry, the substation started construction without project approval and formal definition of the construction subject. Then why did the project suddenly stop construction? It is understood that before the shutdown, the National Energy Administration is preparing to carry out a special inspection on power projects under construction in several cities, including Zhumadian in Henan Province.
Hu Yuzhen, Secretary of the Party Committee of State Grid Zhumadian Power Supply Company: I feel that there is a problem with this inspection. Construction starts without formalities. There is a problem, and it will be found out.
The reporter found in the investigation that, in addition to the construction of the substation project without approval, the land also has problems. According to relevant regulations, the substation shall be built on the allocated land. It is understood that due to the lack of time, there is no suitable land available locally. With the consent of Hengfeng Company, the substation can only be built on the land belonging to Hengfeng Industrial Park, covering an area of about 18 mu. The State Grid Henan Company believes that there is a risk of loss of state-owned assets by investing in the substation on the land owned by the enterprise.
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province: Because this investment has been invested in someone else's yard, and they cannot correct the land procedures, they will be held accountable.
In the interview, the Yicheng District Committee and the District Government believed that, based on the contract signed at that time, the two parties only agreed that the government should meet the power load of the enterprise, but they did not fully consider how to solve the legal requirements such as planning and land required for the subsequent construction of the substation, and did not strictly demonstrate the project prospect and whether the enterprise has the ability to make long-term and continuous investment, It has laid hidden dangers for the performance of the contract.
In the absence of sufficient demonstration for this project, the performance of the contract became more and more difficult later. In 2014, after obtaining the land certificate of the industrial park, Hengfeng Company mortgaged the land for the need of capital flow, so that the ownership of the land occupied by the substation could not be divided. In 2016, in order to promote the construction of the substation, several parties agreed to remove the mortgage of land loans, divide the nearly 18 mu land of the substation, and then the government allocated it to the power supply company to continue to build the substation.
In order to release the mortgage, Hengfeng Company needs to provide a bridge fund to the mortgage bank, and the bank will continue to issue loans after the land division procedures are completed. At this time, Hengfeng Company was unable to provide 28 million yuan of capital turnover because it had not officially produced for a long time. The district government was requested to coordinate a bridge fund, because it was always the responsibility of the district government to ensure the power supply of the industrial park according to the investment contract.
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province, said that he could not afford the 28 million yuan bridge crossing fund. You asked the government to coordinate the bridge crossing fund, and the government tried several times to avoid risks. Finally, the matter failed.
In order to avoid risks, the district government did not help coordinate the bridge funds, but did not fulfill the agreement to ensure the power load of Hengfeng Company. The local government has always provided the industrial park with temporary power for the construction of factory buildings. How does the local government view the impact on enterprises caused by the failure to complete the 220 kV substation as scheduled?
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province: The power is connected, which is temporary power, and has been connected during the construction period.
Reporter: Should power supply guarantee or production be first?
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province: Power security is the first.
Reporter: What is the reason that the formal power supply has not been guaranteed?
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province: You should ask the party concerned.
It is understood that for more than 10 years, this enterprise has only carried out a short trial production, and has to bear financial expenses such as high loan interest rates every year. Because of the default of project loans, the land of the industrial park was sealed by the bank, and the person in charge of the enterprise became a dishonest person. Hengfeng Company believes that this is related to the failure of Yicheng District Government to perform the contract.
According to the Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment promulgated by the State Council in 2019, Article 31 clearly stipulates that local people's governments at all levels shall fulfill their policy commitments to market entities and various contracts concluded according to law. How does the local government view this?
Feng Lei, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, Henan Province: The agreement signed by the government, as an agreement, is first protected by law. If we cannot perform or any aspect fails to comply with the contract, we can accept legal supervision.
The supporting facilities of the industrial park are not perfect, which affects not only Hengfeng Company. In 2020, in order to revitalize the industrial park, Yicheng District Government, Hengfeng Company and Fujian Zhengxing Group signed a tripartite agreement, in which Hengfeng Company and Zhengxing Group will cooperate to jointly build the Womadun wheel project in this plot. However, this project has been shut down since it was produced for a period of time.
Chen Yunli, Deputy General Manager of Zhengxing Wheel Group: After the commencement of construction, because it was still construction power production at that time, power was always cut off, and power was cut off when it was used. Originally, there were a lot of equipment to be installed, but it was expanded to 6 to 8 production lines. The equipment was obviously short of power, so we stopped installing some of them immediately.
In order to build the substation, the local power supply company has invested more than 20 million yuan, but since 10 years ago, this has been a half hearted project, and has not played its role, wasting the funds of state-owned enterprises.
Zhang Pan, Office Director of State Grid Zhumadian Power Supply Company: At present, this money has not been found. Now we dare not dismantle it or build it. They are all there.
Feng Lei, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, Henan Province: If the project of attracting investment is successful, according to the calculation standard of the existing industrial cluster, our average tax intensity per mu is about 150000 yuan, and more than 200 mu per year is about 10 million yuan. We believe that this project has not produced the social and economic benefits that should be.
In the process of attracting investment, this project did not get the expected results after 10 years due to inadequate preliminary planning and planning, and the contract was not performed normally. The key project is now in a situation of three failures and all injuries. Why on earth?
An Ning, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhumadian Economic Development Zone, Henan Province: We must plan ahead in the preliminary planning, and then move forward one step to avoid some avoidable problems, including the investment attraction in the past two years. We are also studying while learning.
The reporter's investigation found that this is a problem left over by history, which has attracted the attention of Henan Provincial Party Committee and Government. The past is not far away, and the lesson is profound. Now, the local government must strengthen the preliminary planning in the process of attracting investment, rather than relying on temporary enthusiasm. It is necessary to fully demonstrate the project, including how to realize the project supporting facilities? What is the development prospect of the project? Should have mature and complete consideration. At the same time, every step should be in accordance with the law. If there is neither planning nor legal guarantee and constraint, blind investment attraction and blind supporting, it is likely that all kinds of wrangling or uncompleted projects will eventually occur, which will not only affect the development of enterprises and local economies, but also waste national resources.
