The key to transforming "Wujin" into "green gold" lies in innovation

Advance, dock, shovel, unload... In the Yuanbao Mountain Open-pit Coal Mine of Pingzhuang Coal Industry of the State Energy Group, an electric shovel nearly 14 meters high and a deadweight of 490 tons is busy operating. It can load about 16 tons of coal with one shovel. Looking closer, there was no one in the cab. 3 kilometers away, Zhao Xiujun, the driver of the electric shovel, manipulated the handle to accurately control every movement of the electric shovel: "With the help of 5G technology, inclination sensors, temperature and speed sensors, etc., the bucket can be accurately positioned and dust and noise during on-site operations can be avoided."

There are many such high-tech technologies in open-pit coal mines: high-step radar monitoring systems can quickly identify potentially dangerous areas, shorten early warning timeliness, and help increase coal recovery; intelligent penetration and blasting systems can improve the accuracy of blasting hole placement. Within 5 centimeters, the hole placement time for 500 holes has been shortened from one day to two or three hours.

As my country's main energy source, coal consumption accounts for more than 55% of total energy consumption and plays a "ballast stone" role in ensuring national energy security. Today, my country's coal industry has stimulated strong development momentum and presented a new look, confirming thatXiJinpingThe General Secretary's profound judgment: "Traditional industries cannot be said to be backward industries. Traditional industries also have new productivity and high technology."

Green energy development does not mean that coal is not eliminated, but that it is based on national conditions and promotes clean utilization of coal.XiJinpingThe general secretary emphasized that "the development of the coal industry must be transformed and upgraded and follow the path of green and low-carbon development." In the future, my country's energy consumption will maintain rigid growth. Accelerating the transformation and upgrading of the coal industry and promoting clean and efficient utilization of coal is undoubtedly a realistic choice for coordinating energy supply and reducing pollution and carbon emissions.

Upgrade to high-end, increase value and expand sales. Only by improving the comprehensive utilization efficiency of coal as a chemical raw material and promoting the transformation of coal from fuel to raw material can we break out of the traditional path of "digging coal-selling coal" and create new growth points. For example, Shaanxi Future Energy Chemical Co., Ltd. uses wax oil produced by coal-to-liquids units as raw material to produce high-end high-melting-point Fischer-Tropsch wax. The products can be used in plastic processing, rubber tire processing and other fields, breaking the monopoly of foreign technology. Since the beginning of this year, prices have risen steadily, and the products have been sold out before they have even been offline. Coke oven gas is used as raw material to produce high-value-added absolute ethanol, and blended to produce "extreme cold diesel" that can be used normally at more than minus 20 degrees Celsius... Relying on technological innovation, coal is "eaten and squeezed" and more research and development. High value-added, refined and differentiated products can not only create economic benefits, but also help ensure the stability of the industrial and supply chains.

Transform to intelligence to increase safety and efficiency. The coal production process is often accompanied by disasters such as water disasters, fires, and rock burst. Promoting the intelligent construction of coal mines can reduce high-risk positions and help increase safety and improve efficiency. By building a smart mine in a coal mine in Shandong, the number of people on a single working face has been reduced from 15 to 5, and the average monthly coal output has increased by about 50%. As of the end of April this year, a total of 1922 intelligent coal mining faces and 2154 intelligent driving faces have been built across the country, driving the rapid development of mining Internet of Things, coal machinery equipment manufacturing and other industries. Gathering joint efforts and focusing on solving problems such as unbalanced construction progress and insufficient support for key technologies and equipment will promote a new leap in coal mine intelligence.

Develop towards green, add "beauty" and make it less carbon. In the Mine Eco-Tourism Zone of Guoneng Zhuneng Group, the coal-mining subsidence land once crisscrossed with ravines has been transformed into a theme park integrating agricultural picking experience and coal-mining site sightseeing through management; in Xukuang Group, the remaining coal gangue is used for road construction, brick making, etc., with obvious comprehensive benefits. Currently, in response to the difficult carbon emission problem of coal, various places are also exploring carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage technologies. For example, carbon dioxide captured from coal-fired power plants can be used in welding manufacturing, food-grade dry ice, etc. By solving problems such as high technology cost and insufficient maturity, coal is expected to become a low-carbon energy source.

Coal is a gift from nature. By accelerating the research on green and low-carbon technologies and continuing to promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, we will surely be able to refine more "black gold" into "green gold" and add momentum to high-quality economic development.