China’s Ordos airport sets new benchmark for zero-carbon infrastructure

September 24, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan could draw on China’s emerging zero-carbon infrastructure technologies as airports and other major facilities increasingly explore renewable energy solutions, with the Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport in Inner Mongolia offering a notable example of how clean energy can be integrated into large-scale infrastructure.

The airport has adopted a carbon dioxide-based energy system that eliminates the use of fossil fuels, fluorocarbon refrigerants and cooling water. The technology uses CO2 as a medium to transfer and convert energy from renewable sources, including wind and solar power as well as heat from the air and soil.

Developed by Professor Zhang Xinrong of Peking University Ordos Research Institute of Energy, the system converts variable renewable energy into more stable supplies for heating, cooling and electricity, according to APP.

Since becoming operational in March 2025, clean energy has accounted for more than 90% of the airport’s total energy consumption. Annual wind and solar power utilization has surpassed 21 million kilowatt-hours, while energy consumption for heating and cooling has declined by 60%, according to China Economic Net.

The system has also reduced the airport’s operating costs by 50% and cut annual natural-gas consumption by more than 2 million cubic meters. Carbon emissions have fallen by around 9,500 tonnes annually, while approximately 3,500 kilograms of fluorocarbon refrigerants have been eliminated.

Before the transformation, the airport depended on separate gas-fired heating and electricity-intensive cooling systems.

Natural-gas boilers consumed around 2.6 million cubic meters of gas annually for heating, while fluorocarbon-based chillers used approximately 2.15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity for cooling. Together, these systems produced nearly 9,600 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

The development is particularly significant given Ordos’ history as a major coal-producing center. The Inner Mongolian city holds roughly one-sixth of China’s coal reserves and has historically relied heavily on fossil fuels for its economy and energy requirements.

Ordos has increasingly shifted toward emerging energy and low-carbon technologies. The city now has 26 specialized laboratories, 17 companies operating in the sector and 28 patents related to its emerging energy and low-carbon technology ecosystem.

The city is also developing solutions aimed at addressing the intermittency of renewable energy. A shared hydrogen facility involving the Ordos New Energy Research Institute is expected to become the world’s first off-grid zero-carbon industrial park using hydrogen for long-duration energy storage once completed.

Another zero-carbon service area combines hydrogen production and refueling with ultra-fast charging as well as battery- and hydrogen-swapping facilities for heavy trucks.

Hydrogen is being explored as an energy-storage medium that can help bridge periods when renewable sources such as solar and wind cannot generate sufficient electricity, allowing energy to be stored for longer periods and supplied when needed.

The clean-energy transition is also extending to mining and transportation. Ordos mines are already operating 105-tonne pure-electric mining trucks and 130-tonne hybrid mining trucks, while six tree-planting robots are being used in the surrounding desert.

The city is additionally testing autonomous heavy-truck platooning, under which a human-driven Level 2 lead vehicle can guide between one and five autonomous heavy trucks.

The technology is designed to support long-distance transport in areas where communications coverage may be limited and where vehicles face obstacles such as livestock, road hazards and maintenance activity.

Ordos is also examining the application of its clean-energy technologies to computing centers, which are becoming increasingly important sources of electricity demand.

Such facilities require significant amounts of power and, depending on their cooling systems and climate, can also consume substantial quantities of water.

The New Energy Research Institute plans to invest 800 million yuan in four zero-carbon demonstration areas covering industrial parks, transportation, mines and desert management, and computing centers.

The programme aims to develop demonstration projects that can ultimately be standardized and scaled up, providing potential reference points for other regions seeking to combine renewable energy, energy storage and low-carbon infrastructure.

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