As a key national hub for the energy and chemical industries, Yulin in China's Shaanxi Province has pushed ahead with a string of green and low-carbon initiatives in recent years. This includes transforming traditional practices in the coal industry and embracing new energy sources like hydrogen. A research institute has also been set up in Yulin, dedicated to solving key technical problems in the development of energy. Zhou Yixin reports.

In a lab at the Yulin Innovation Institute of Clean Energy, robots with mechanical arms are busy mixing chemicals to make catalysts for experiments. This lab is one of the first in China to use artificial intelligence for catalyst research, changing the old way of doing things.

Yulin is a city rich in energy resources, making it a good place for this institute. Their main goal is to solve important technical problems related to national energy security and the energy industry by doing practical research in the field.

REN XIAOGUANG, Director, Yulin Innovation Institute of Clean Energy "In the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, in choosing a high-carbon city like Yulin we can use key technologies from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and universities to create a model of low-carbon development and high-quality development for high-carbon cities."

Yulin is also intensifying efforts in the field of new energy while exploring the potential of traditional energy sources. For one, Huaqin New Energy has established a hydrogen energy industrial park. They've developed a complete hydrogen industrial chain, which includes making equipment, producing hydrogen, storing and using it.

ZHOU YIXIN, Yulin, Shaanxi Province "I'm at a plant of the Huaqin New Energy Company. This plant is equipped with two sets of water electrolysis equipment for producing high-purity hydrogen."

Huaqin New Energy Company has developed water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment that relies on newly developed materials, achieving a significant reduction in power usage and a more eco-friendly approach.

Leveraging its expertise in manufacturing the equipment and capitalizing on Yulin's resource strengths, the company is making advances in the field of hydrogen production.

LI ZHUO, Director, Administrative Affairs Department, Shaanxi Huaqin New Energy Technology "There are many chemical companies in Yulin, which produce chemical tail gases during their production. We've cooperated with a company to build a one-kilometer pipeline and use the chemical tail gases they generate to produce high purity hydrogen."

In the coming years, Yulin is set to speed up the development of an energy innovation demonstration zone. Authorities say they'll persist in advancing the coal chemical industry toward high-end, low-carbon practices with the aim of establishing a world-class energy and chemical industry hub.

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