Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport in Inner Mongolia now runs largely on wind and solar power using a CO2-based energy transfer system. According to developer Zhang Xinrong, clean energy covers over 90% of airport energy use, annual wind and solar output exceeds 21 million kWh, and heating and cooling energy consumption is down 60%. The airport cut natural gas use by more than 2 million cubic meters a year and avoids about 9,500 tonnes of CO2 annually. The airport's old setup burned about 2.6 million cubic meters of gas for heating and used 2.15 million kWh for fluorocarbon chillers, emitting roughly 9,600 tonnes of CO2 per year. The retrofit replaces that with a closed CO2 loop that stores and converts renewable energy from air and soil heat, with no fossil fuels, fluorocarbons, or cooling water. Operating costs reportedly fell 50%. The article links the project to China-Pakistan green energy cooperation. Pakistan is exploring renewable options for airports and infrastructure, and Ordos is positioned as a reference. The broader push includes hydrogen storage, electric mining trucks, and zero-carbon industrial parks, so the airport is part of a wider effort to make renewables usable beyond peak sun and wind hours.
