Recently, the 100kt Liquid Sunshine Project of China Coal Ordos Energy & Chemical Co., Ltd. has fully entered the final sprint stage toward commissioning. The project deeply integrates wind and solar new energy power generation, hydrogen production via water electrolysis, and coal chemical production, exploring a new path for green and low-carbon transformation of traditional coal chemical industry.
Currently, equipment purging and single-unit commissioning work at the project construction site are progressing in an orderly manner. Pipeline purging for the methanol distillation unit has been completed, and at this stage, purging operations for equipment such as hydrogen compressors and hydrogen spherical tanks are mainly underway. Conditions for the project's mechanical completion are basically ready, and subsequently, construction power will be used to advance oil circulation and water circulation for the distillation unit and compressors, with plans to get the chemical production process running by the end of the year.
As the world's first industrial demonstration project for liquid sunshine, the project has a total investment of 4.967 billion yuan and is expected to produce 21,000 mt of green hydrogen annually, supported by 400 MW of PV and 225 MW of wind power facilities.
The project utilizes carbon dioxide from the tail gas emitted by the existing Rectisol unit and combines it with hydrogen produced from water electrolysis using wind and PV green electricity to synthesize green methanol, while also constructing supporting units for hydrogen storage and transmission, forming an industrial model that integrates new energy with coal chemical industry.
According to the project's relevant person in charge, once the plant is put into operation, it is expected to achieve the resource utilization of 150,000 mt of carbon dioxide per year, indirectly reducing carbon emissions by approximately 350,000 mt. Compared with a traditional coal-to-methanol project of equivalent scale, it can also reduce coal consumption by 140,000 mt per year, yielding significant energy-saving and carbon-reduction benefits.
In terms of technology application, the project has achieved comprehensive localisation in key aspects such as catalysts, reactors, electrolyzers, and their supporting systems, laying the foundation for the engineering and large-scale application of liquid sunshine technology.
Once completed and operational, the project will support Ordos in building a zero-carbon industrial demonstration model and establish a replicable and scalable green methanol production solution, providing practical reference for the coal chemical industry to achieve its peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality goals and to expand the global green fuel market.
