On October 11, the first phase of the Comprehensive Utilization Project for Low-Rank Coal Resources officially commenced production in the Panbei Economic Development Zone in Guizhou. This project will process two types of low-rank coal – dried coal slurry and medium-grade coal – into premium coking coal products with an ash content of less than 10.5%.

“Our utilization technology developed in partnership with Central South University has allowed us to redefine conventional notions of ‘internal ash’ and ‘external ash’ in the coal washing industry,” said Zhu Renfeng, General Manager of Guizhou Changneng Tianan Industrial Co., Ltd. “Once all three phases of the project are completed, we expect to generate an average annual sales revenue of 2.6 billion yuan from these fully utilized resources.”

A wave of transformation is sweeping through traditional industries. The Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China has emphasized the importance of high-end, intelligent, and green development, directing efforts toward upgrading traditional industries, nurturing emerging sectors, and strategically planning future industries.

By positioning technological innovation as the driving force behind the integration of innovation and industry chains, Guizhou aims to elevate traditional sectors into key areas for nurturing new productive forces, strengthen its industrial innovation ecosystem, and allow “old trees to sprout new buds” with fresh narratives.

**Rising Industry Strength**

Beginning in October, Guizhou Phosphate Kai Tai Technology Co., Ltd. set a historical record by supplying 127.5 tons of lithium hexafluorophosphate to four customers all at once, marking the highest delivery volume to date.

The evolving industry landscape presents its own opportunities, particularly within the competitive market of new energy battery materials. In the last two years, this emerging field has become increasingly competitive. Enhancing product competitiveness has become a priority for Guizhou Phosphate Group’s new energy sector.

“By strengthening and enlarging our phosphorous resource deep processing industry chain, we are modernizing our fertilizer manufacturing from mere scale expansion to refined, specialized, and series production. We also focus on the efficient utilization of co-products, ensuring a comprehensive layout for new energy production that boosts both the quantity and quality of our products,” stated an official from Guizhou Phosphate Group.

As the world’s only company capable of recovering strategic resources like fluorine and iodine from phosphorus chemical production, Guizhou Phosphate Group has achieved an annual production capacity of 21,000 tons of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, placing it among the top three global suppliers. This also secures a reliable raw material supply for the annual output of 10,000 tons of lithium hexafluorophosphate downstream.

Vertical integration and horizontal specialization within the supply chain grant Guizhou’s enterprises the ability to leverage technology for switching competitive tracks. The emergence of new productive forces from traditional industries is set to generate more innovative products, business models, and formats. Guizhou aims to have new product sales constitute over 15% of the revenue of large industrial enterprises by 2027.

**Digital Intelligence Enhances Efficiency**

“Every element essential for production—wind, water, electricity, and gas—is utilized to its utmost efficiency!” On September 19, within the office building of Guizhou Nengkuang Manganese Industry Group Co., Ltd., a new digital display drew attention with a simulation of production presented through their newly implemented digital twin monitoring platform.

This platform integrates multiple functionalities such as energy consumption analysis, workshop energy management, video monitoring, instrument monitoring, predictive warning systems, and automated reporting, allowing for high efficiency during production.

“This platform serves as the ‘brain’ of our digital factory, marking the beginning of our journey toward digital transformation,” said Tan Xiaojun, Party Secretary and Chairman of Nengkuang Manganese. He emphasized the need to enhance the factory’s digital framework, creating a new ecosystem that merges intelligent production with precise management and efficient operations, ultimately providing robust support for the in-depth development and utilization of manganese resources.

Aligned with the national strategy to establish a key production base for Chinese liquor, Xijiu Group has launched the “Smart Xijiu” project to adapt to the industry’s transformation. This initiative has already begun to unlock the secrets of technologically-enhanced liquor production.

On the supply side, digital projects are enhancing the collaborative efficiency of production, sales, and distribution; on the production side, data interfaces for each stage of production ensure the entire product lifecycle is digitally traceable. The initiative includes building a digital management system that covers production, product identity, and circulation.

In May, Xijiu Group partnered with Peking University to establish a joint laboratory focused on the digital transformation of the liquor industry. This lab will engage a technical team from the university to strengthen Xijiu’s research in areas such as manufacturing digitization and digital marketing, aiming to emerge as a leading digital research and industrial application base in China within 3 to 5 years.

Harnessing digital productivity has become an essential strategy for the transformation and upgrading of the real economy. In the liquor industry, projects like “iMoutai,” “Xijiu 5G Smart Storage + Digital Factory,” and “Guotai Intelligent Brewing” are setting benchmarks for the integration of digital and physical elements, with the industry’s integration level reaching 56.7%, continuously enhancing its ecological influence and developmental capacity.

**Green Development for a Sustainable Future**

In today’s world, carbon reduction and emission cutting have become the norm. Utilizing carbon dioxide for power generation is now an exciting frontier that attracts collaboration among universities, research institutions, and enterprises.

Shougang Water City Steel Group Co., Ltd. is set to introduce a world-class industrial supercritical CO2 power generation system by November, which will redefine energy conversion in the sector.

Construction workers are actively working on essential components such as heat exchangers and compressors, which were specifically developed by the China National Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute for this project. This cutting-edge supercritical CO2 conversion technology fills a gap in the domestic industry.

Shougang’s system stands as China’s first supercritical CO2 power generation demonstration project. According to experts from the institute, this technology improves waste heat recovery efficiency by 42% compared to traditional processes and increases net electricity generation by 115%, yielding an additional 90 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

“This year, we are committed to fostering a foundation for green development by establishing a series of ultra-low-emission projects, enhancing secondary energy utilization, ensuring a balance of resources across processes, and striving for zero emissions and zero waste. We aim to innovate in the processing and application models of solid waste resources to maximize resource value,” stated Peng Kaiyu, Party Secretary and Chairman of Shougang Steel.

With new technologies sparking fresh vitality, numerous enterprises across the province are innovatively merging industry resources with firsthand needs, resulting in an accelerated formation of a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. Guizhou is poised for vibrant growth and sustainability in its industries.