State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company: Turning waste into watts with biomass power

At Guoneng Pizhou Biomass Power Co., a massive clamshell bucket swings back and forth, dropping dried crop stalks onto a conveyor belt that carries them into the furnace. What once counted as agricultural waste is now being transformed into clean electricity, fed directly into the grid and delivered to households across Jiangsu.

"We've built a complete system for collecting, storing, transporting and using crop residues," said Jiang Bo, the plant's executive vice-president. "Each year, we process about 300,000 tonnes of wheat, corn, and rice straw into over 220 million kilowatt-hours of electricity—saving the equivalent of 90,000 tonnes of coal and cutting carbon emissions by around 200,000 tonnes."

The growth of biomass power has helped eliminate the once-common practice of open burning in fields. At the same time, a parallel expansion of rural biogas projects is tackling manure and household waste.

In Suining County, one of Jiangsu's leading livestock production areas, 37 biogas facilities with a combined digester volume of 49,200 cubic meters now treat roughly 960,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. The output—about 26 million cubic meters of biogas—is used for electricity, heating, and even vehicle fuel under the principle of "gas where suitable, power where needed," turning rural refuse into a valuable resource.

"Xuzhou has abundant biomass resources, and the potential is still enormous," said Zhang Yunfei, director of the dispatch center at State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company. "Seventeen large-scale biomass plants, with a combined capacity of 335.6 megawatts, are already connected to the grid and generating nearly 2 terawatt-hours of electricity annually."

To ensure high-quality integration, the utility has created a dedicated "green channel" for biomass projects. "We support enterprises with commissioning, testing, and maintenance to boost efficiency and stability," said Li Yi, deputy director of the company's development department. "We've also built centralized control systems that allow us to monitor plant operations and grid output in real time."

Looking ahead, Li noted, State Grid Xuzhou will leverage its big-data platform to improve forecasting and ensure full consumption of biomass power. "Our goal is to build a green, low-carbon energy chain that generates clean power, delivers it reliably, and makes the most of every kilowatt-hour."