Lawmaker says Guizhou ripe for new energy push

With advantages of abundant phosphorus ore resources and achievements in the phosphorus chemical industry, more efforts should be made in building a new energy material manufacturing innovation center in Guizhou province, said a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress.

By taking Guizhou as an important base, China is able to build a green industrial chain system with low carbon emissions－from upstream phosphate mining, phosphorus and fluorine chemical production to downstream applications, said He Guangliang, also president of State-owned Guizhou Phosphate Chemical Group, the world's largest purified wet phosphoric acid and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride provider based in the Southwest China province.

The deputy also suggested creation of a national new energy materials manufacturing innovation center in the region to incubate, test and apply new energy materials including phosphorus and fluorine, to accelerate the country's competitiveness in the global phosphorus chemical industry.

This can help Guizhou build a new energy power battery industry with distinctive characteristics and outstanding advantages, as the province bets big on emerging sectors including new energy for fresh points of growth, said He.

Luo Zuoxian, head of intelligence and research at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute, said the new materials industry is one of the strategic emerging industries in the country and will have a significant impact on future development in China.

The country has been actively developing the new materials industry in recent years and its western regions are likely to embrace massive opportunities in developing the sector, Luo said.

Founded in June 2019, GPCG's core business mainly covers phosphate mining, phosphate compound fertilizers and the fine phosphate chemical industry.

While the country has made numerous achievements in the phosphorus chemical industry, it still has a long way to go in the innovation of the phosphorus and fluorine chemical industry with insufficient investment in technology, added He.

The official said the group's supply of wet-process phosphoric acid ranks first in the world, exceeding the combined volume of the next three largest holders, and the group plans to build itself into one of the world's biggest and most competitive fluoride-related resource suppliers.

Its production capacity of phosphate fertilizer, phosphate compound fertilizer with high-quality and high-concentration accounts for 40 percent of the national total.

The company also contributes to China's grain planting and production, while also looking to transform the province into a producer of high-end refined chemical products to achieve more added value and expand presence in the global market.

With advanced technologies and management experiences, the company sees its contract value signed with economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative exceeding 5.9 billion yuan ($935 million) so far, including Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Its products have been sold to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. The annual production capacity of the group's mineral resources ranks first in Asia and third in the world for phosphorus and the phosphorus chemical industry.

Zhao Yandi in Guiyang contributed to this story.