The world's first industrial-scale "liquid sunshine" demonstration project has entered a critical commissioning phase in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, marking a major step toward the green transformation of traditional coal chemical industries.

At the project site of China National Coal Group Corporation's Ordos Energy & Chemical Co, workers are finalizing equipment purging, inspections, and other commissioning tasks. The green methanol production system is nearing mechanical completion, with preparations underway for oil circulation and water commissioning for the distillation and compressor systems before putting the chemical process into operation by the end of the year.

The project has secured a total investment of 4.97 billion yuan ($737.39 million). It is expected to produce 21,000 metric tons of green hydrogen annually, powered by 400 megawatts of photovoltaic energy and 225 MW of wind power.

It combines renewable electricity, water electrolysis for green hydrogen production, and coal chemical processes. Carbon dioxide captured from the tail gas of an existing low-temperature methanol wash unit is combined with green hydrogen to produce green methanol, while hydrogen storage and transportation facilities are also being built.

The project will directly utilize 150,000 tons of carbon annually and indirectly reduce emissions by an additional 350,000 tons. It is expected to cut coal consumption by 140,000 tons per year compared with methanol production of the same scale using conventional coal-based processes.

All key technologies are domestically developed, covering catalysts, reactors, electrolyzers, and balance-of-plant systems, enabling an integrated industrial chain for carbon utilization, green hydrogen production, and green methanol manufacturing.