Plans centered on Ordos' project, "Ecological Protection and Restoration Technology and Demonstration for Large Open-pit Mines in the Northern Sand Control Belt", were delivered at the project's 2025 implementation deployment meeting, which took place on Jan 12 in Hohhot. The meeting discussed detailed reports covering research objectives, content, technical approaches, foundations, team composition, and expected outcomes.

The project, a national key research and development program, was initiated in January 2024. It is led by the CHN Energy Investment Group and jointly implemented by the educational institutions and enterprises.

Situated in Juungar Banner, Ordos, the project integrates 14 national-level research platforms, which focus on water resource protection and utilization in coal mining and forest tree genetic breeding. It features a collaborative research and development team spanning regions, industries, and disciplines, made up of 11 nationally recognized scientific and technological leaders and over 60 experts.

This has laid a solid foundation for achieving damage-reduced mining, scientific restoration, precise control, and self-sustaining ecosystems in large open-pit coal mining areas. It has also promoted the construction of an ecological protection-oriented coal base and an important ecological security barrier in northern China.