Dongshan county in SE China's Fujian province strives to build new energy industrial chain

Photo shows a view of Dongshan Island in Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian province. (Photo by Wang Yuning/People's Daily Online)

Dongshan county of Zhangzhou city located on the southern coast of southeast China's Fujian province, boasts abundant silica sand reserves exceeding 200 million tons and a silicon content of over 97 percent. It is the largest production base of high-quality silica sand in China and ranks first in Asia for its abundant, high-grade, and extensive resources.

As China's photovoltaic industry maintains robust development, Dongshan county is striving to build an entire industrial chain of new materials and renewable energy with an output value exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), in which local power supply companies have played a crucial supportive role.

As a key facility set up by Fujian province for producing glass and new materials, the Lingang Economic Industrial Park in Dongshan county boasts a 50,000-ton dock and primarily facilitates the import of raw materials for producing photovoltaic and new glass materials and the export of finished glass.

In 2023, the export value of finished glass from the Qibin terminal within the industrial park reached a historical high of 388 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 326.4 percent.

A cargo vessel carrying 40 containers of solar modules leaves Dongshan county for the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, April 11, 2024. (Photo from the WeChat official account of the media center of Dongshan county)

To address the high energy consumption of enterprises, the State Grid Fujian Dongshan Power Supply Co. Ltd. has encouraged companies within the industrial park to shift their non-critical production activities to off-peak periods, and adopt energy-efficient variable frequency motors and energy-saving lighting solutions. These measures have allowed Zhangzhou Kibing Glass Co. to cut its monthly electricity costs by 6 percent and reduce carbon emissions by 80 tons, yielding both economic and ecological benefits.

"We have installed an 800 kW shore power system at the Qibin terminal, which not only reduces the fuel consumption of ships while docked and improves the environmental conditions of the port and its surrounding areas, but also helps lower transportation costs for both raw materials and finished products," said Xu Yongping, project leader of the shore power system.

It is reported that the shore power system now contributes to an annual reduction of 1,810 tons in carbon emissions. Additionally, solar panels have been installed at the Qibin terminal to supply energy for lighting, leading to a reduction of carbon emissions by about 400 tons each year.

So far, eight prominent companies in renewable energy have settled in the industrial park, creating a large, intensive, and park-based development pattern for photovoltaic and new glass material industries.

Currently, the State Grid Fujian Dongshan Power Supply Co. Ltd. is working to support the high-quality development of Dongshan's green energy industry in response to the challenges faced by the industrial park such as high operational and maintenance pressure of electrical facilities.

Photo shows the building of a new energy company in the Lingang Economic Industrial Park, Dongshan county, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian province. (Photo from Minnan Ribao)