Shaanxi Province, a vital national energy base in northwest China, has been leveraging technological innovation to drive industrial upgrading and expand its industrial chains, injecting new momentum into traditional energy resources industries.
As China's first coal transportation pipeline and the world's longest coal pipeline, the Shenwei Coal Pipeline in Shaanxi Province is able to transfer 10 million tons of coal annually. Spanning 727 kilometers from Shenmu City to Weinan City, it traverses 18 counties and districts in four cities across the province.
The project transports coal slurry made from premium raw coal from the Yushen mining area to the coal chemical base in Guanzhong Plain in the province via high-pressure pump stations that increase pressure along the route.
A portion of the coal slurry is fed directly into coal chemical plants, while another portion is dewatered into solid coal and transported to thermal power plants for combustion. This approach enables green, low-carbon, and efficient coal transportation.
"Currently, the costs are about two-thirds of rail transport and half of road transport, fully leveraging the economic and social benefits of the pipeline. In the next step, we will further research and innovate pipeline technologies, and give full play to the pipeline's production capacity advantages, to achieve comprehensive industrial development," said Xie Yihua, deputy manager of the Production and Operation Branch of Shaanxi Shenwei Coal Pipeline Transportation Co. Ltd.
Similarly, in the mining sector, Xi'an Tianzhou Mining Technology Group is using cutting-edge technologies to tackle high consumption and low efficiency.
The ore dressing process that the company has developed independently can significantly reduce resource waste and solve challenges in processing complex ores.
The company, specializing in high-tech mining solutions, has recently relocated to an innovation-driven base. It will tap into the innovation ecosystem that the base provides to build an international full-chain mining service platform.
"Our clients include those from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and many other countries. Through our research, we have achieved a mineral recovery rate of 97 percent, which should be considered world-leading. Not only can mining enterprises gain huge benefits, but resources can also be fully utilized," said Li Tian'en, chairman of Xi'an Tianzhou Mining Technology Group Co. Ltd.
Shaanxi harnesses technologies to revitalize coal, mining industries
