Conference highlights green energy development

By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio

The 2023 China (Yichang) Green Energy Development Conference will be held from October 10 to 12 in Yichang, Hubei Province. China's first hydrogen-fueled vessel, the Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1, will officially be launched in Yichang.

The main activities during the conference will include the opening ceremony and key note speech, maiden voyage of the ship on October 11, and launching forums around three thematic reports. There will also be visits to the Three Gorges Power Station, Yangtze Rare Fish Conservation Center, Three Gorges Project Museum and the world's largest electric cruise ship in terms of electric storage capacity, the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1.

The conference is arranged around the development of the energy industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, with the key topics being the electrification of the Yangtze River and intelligent ships.

Nearly 700 guests are expected to be in attendance, including scholars, experts, representatives from key enterprises and some university leaders in related energy fields. Several industrial projects with billions of yuan in investments will be signed.

As the venue for the event, Yichang has unique advantages in green energy development. It is the largest phosphate ore base along the Yangtze River. With reserves of 4.3 billion tons, it accounts for 15 percent of the country's total. Also, it has a graphite ore reserve containing 10 percent of China’s total.

In recent years, thanks to these resource advantages, Yichang developed key materials for lithium batteries, such as lithium iron phosphate. The city has also developed green energy industries such as power batteries and energy storage batteries.

A number of industry-leading companies such as BRUNP-CATL, Sunwoda, Shandong Haike Chemical, Guangzhou Tianci Materials, and Cornex New Energy have invested in Yichang. The new energy battery industry chain has begun to take shape.

Currently, there are 63 new energy and new materials projects under construction (planned) in the city, with investments of more than 300 billion yuan (US$41 billion).

Since adopting the technology in 2015, Yichang has made impressive strides. The city now has 168 shore power stations, covering all 67 of its wharves. Yichang has become the first city in the Yangtze Basin to achieve 100 percent shore power coverage.

As of August 2023, Yichang has supplied 31.28 million kWh of shore power for more than 20,000 ships since the initiative began in 2015, equivalent to the energy consumption of 13.84 million people in a day.