Yunnan rises to be China's green aluminum hub

A Yunnan industrial park for green aluminum production

Yunnan province proposed to be the "Chinese Valley of Green Aluminum" in 2021.

Starting in 2022, the province has kicked off a number of aluminum projects in Wenshan, Zhaotong, Qujing, Honghe and Kunming, calling for using hydro-power instead of coal in aluminum production.

Later, the Shandong-based Weiqiao Pioneering Group, a fortune 500 company, cooperated with southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan prefecture in creating an industrial park. It’s the largest green aluminum project in the world, but they spent only 195 days to finish the project.

Following Weiqiao, other top 500 companies such as the Chinalco Group and the Sunho Group based in Henan province also became involved in Yunnan’s drive to be a Chinese hub for low-carbon aluminum production.

A branch of Chinalco Group in Yunnan

In 2023, the province's electrolytic aluminum output was 4.38 tons, and the whole green aluminum industry chain was valued at 118.4 billion yuan, with the added value increasing by 19.1% year-on-year. In the first half of this year, the added value of the province's green aluminum industry increased by 23.9%.

The production capacity of green electrolytic aluminum in Wenshan alone has added up to 3.43 million tons over the years, accounting for 41% of provincial aluminum production and 8% of Chinese aluminum total. Wenshan has grown to be the largest green aluminum producer among Chinese prefectures.

Yunnan Aluminum Company has presence at the 8th China-South Asia Expo.

With the 2024 China Industrial Transfer and Development Matchmaking Activities (Yunnan) to be held in Kunming city from September 7 to 8, Yunnan's aluminum production has the potential to lead the world in energy sufficiency by 2030.

Sources: Yunnan Updates and Yunnan Daily;Trans-editing by Wang Shixue