Hydrogen' Loading in China's 'Southwest Coal Sea' Guizhou Industry Upgrading

"Coal is scarce in the south of the Yangtze River and only enriches Guizhou". More than one third of Guizhou's coal is in Liupanshui. Liupanshui City in Guizhou Province has the reputation of "Southwest Coal Sea".

Liupanshui is a bright "black" pearl on the earth of China. However, with the peak of high-quality coal resources and the arrival of energy transformation in the new era, changing coal dependence and taking the road of green and low-carbon transformation are the realistic choices for the economic transformation of Liupanshui in the new era.

"Southwest Coal Sea" Liupanshui: The prospective reserves of Liupanshui coal resources are 84.4 billion tons, and the proven reserves and exploitable reserves are about 22.1 billion tons. After half a century of coal mining, it is only about 1.3 billion tons. It is the largest coal resource base south of the Yangtze River in China, known as the "Southwest Coal Sea". As a big coal resource city, Liupanshui is China's important energy base and power transmission base from west to east. It transports a large amount of coal and power resources to China every year.

This city is built on coal and thrives on coal. For 55 years, the third-tier builders have contributed 1.3 billion tons of coal, 460 billion kilowatt-hour electricity, 59 million tons of steel and nearly 100 million tons of steel to the Republic with the heroic spirit of "not wanting parents, not wanting mothers, and not going home with coal". 

Here, the first modern coal mine and the first million-ton coal mine in Guizhou Province were born, the first modern thermal power unit, the first million-kilowatt thermal power plant and the largest installed thermal power plant in Guizhou Province, and the first steel plant, the first cement plant, the first chemical plant, the first coal machinery plant in Guizhou Province were born. The first gas drainage station. Coal is the largest pillar industry in Liupanshui, with coal production capacity of about 60 million tons, and the added value of coal industry accounts for more than 60% of the industrial added value above the scale. Coal contributes more than a quarter of the total tax revenue of Liupanshui.

In the 1960s, Liupanshui thrived on coal and became an industrial city of energy and raw materials developed during the period of "three-line construction". Liupanshui's past brilliance was achieved by "eating coal meal" and "chanting coal classics". Traditionally, the four pillar industries of coal, electricity, steel and building materials play an important role in the economic development of Liupanshui. However, with the fluctuation of the market, the economic development of Liupanshui has become a "fluctuation curve". What is more worrying is that the extensive development model has put Liupanshui in a dilemma. Li Gang, deputy secretary and mayor of Liupanshui Municipal Party Committee, confessed that these four industries belong to heavy industry. If Liupanshui still relies solely on these four industries for further development, industrial development will encounter bottlenecks and it will be difficult to achieve sustained economic growth. In accordance with the requirements of the state for the transformation and development of old industrial cities, Liupanshui actively plans for the transformation and development.

In 1990, Liupanshui coal mine and other non-coal mines totaled more than 2,700 mu. Private digging and overmining were very prominent. Coking by soil method was widespread and a large number of forests were cut down. The forest coverage rate was only 7.5%. Rocky desertification area accounted for 45.35% of the total area, and soil erosion area reached more than 80%. In 2007, due to environmental pollution, it was totally protected by the state. The Bureau has been blacklisted as "regional restricted approval".

Liupanshui will unswervingly eliminate backward production capacity, focusing on solving the prominent problems of low-end, extensive and inefficient traditional industries. Through the recycling of resources, Liupanshui has formed a complete circular economy industry chain, and in 2016 Liupanshui was approved to establish a national circular economy demonstration city.

Changing the dependence on coal, upgrading the industry and taking the road of green and low-carbon transformation have become the realistic choice for the economic transformation of Liupanshui in the new era.

On October 11, 2018, "China Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry Summit Forum 2018" was held in Haikou City, Hainan Province. The core point of the Forum's "Research Report on the Development of China's Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry" points out that China's energy system has outstanding problems such as unsafe, unbalanced and unsustainable. Hydrogen, as an energy carrier, has the advantages of zero carbon, high efficiency, energy storage, abundant application scenarios, safety and controllability. Its wide application will promote energy transformation and upgrading. At a time when many provinces in China are vigorously allocating hydrogen energy industries, Guizhou Province has also accelerated the industrial layout. As the cleanest and renewable secondary energy, hydrogen can achieve zero carbon emission. Guizhou Province's unique coal resources make the cost of hydrogen production very low and have a competitive advantage in the market. On December 25, 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Liupanshui Municipal People's Government signed the Cooperation Agreement on the Development Plan of Hydrogen Energy Industry. Taking the "Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Plan" as an opportunity and the industrial demand of Liupanshui as a driving force, we actively guide the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements in Liupanshui, and contribute to the healthy development of local economy. On March 28, 2019, Guiyang Municipal People's Government signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Guizhou Maritime Silk Road International Investment Co., Ltd., Guizhou Electric Power Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., China Electric Construction Group, Germany Hydrogen Age Technology Co., Ltd., Germany European Blue Energy Co., Ltd., and Austrian Bioenergy 2020+Co., Ltd. in Guiyang. We will jointly carry out regional cooperation on ecological and environmental protection between China and Europe, and build a demonstration industrial cluster of hydrogen energy.

According to the agreement, each enterprise will set up a joint venture company in Guiyang to integrate the solution, technology research, market application and equipment system of ecological environmental protection and hydrogen energy system.