Ordos, a city in Inner Mongolia long known for coal, is building a testbed for zero-carbon industrial technology. The centerpiece is a CO2-based energy system at Ejin Horo International Airport that cuts heating and cooling energy use by 60% and displaces about 9,500 tonnes of CO2 annually. The city is also deploying hydrogen storage, electric mining trucks, and planning zero-carbon data centers. The article details concrete numbers: clean energy supplies over 90% of airport power, natural gas use drops by 2 million cubic meters per year, and operating costs fall by half. A shared hydrogen facility aims to become the world's first off-grid zero-carbon industrial park. These projects are part of an 800 million yuan program covering parks, transport, mines, and computing. For anyone tracking carbon markets or industrial decarbonization, Ordos is a case study in how fossil-fuel regions can pilot new energy infrastructure. The article gives a clear picture of the technology mix, though it leaves open questions about scalability and cost beyond the demonstration stage.
