China's first zero-carbon potato flake processing plant has recently begun trial operations in Hanggin Banner of Ordos city, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The project involves a total investment of about 1.9 billion yuan ($271.43 million), including 35.54 million yuan in support from the central special lottery public welfare fund, providing strong financial backing for its smooth implementation.

The funding has been directed toward building a zero-carbon circular industrial chain for deep potato processing, creating an integrated system that spans green cultivation, advanced processing, self-sufficient clean energy supply, and carbon recycling.

Once fully operational, the plant is expected to process up to 400,000 metric tons of potatoes annually, producing around 70,000 tons of high-quality potato flakes, with annual output value projected to exceed 1 billion yuan.

Achieving "genuine zero carbon" lies in a green, self-sufficient energy supply. The project is supported by an integrated wind, solar, and energy storage system, leveraging Hanggin Banner's abundant renewable resources to ensure that 100 percent of production electricity comes from green power. This makes it the country's first full-chain zero-carbon industrial park in the food processing sector, significantly reducing carbon emissions while offering a replicable model for the green transition of energy-intensive industries.

The project also adopts a "company + cooperatives + farmers" model to guide local farmers toward standardized and large-scale potato cultivation. Through contract farming, it will help secure stable incomes and broaden income channels for rural households. At full capacity, the project is expected to involve nearly 1,000 surrounding farming households and create a large number of local employment opportunities.