As part of the Yellow River Basin's environmental protection and high-quality development efforts, Ordos has broken away from its tradition of mining and selling coal by building a green industry matrix along the Yellow River and achieving its goal of "natural beauty, industrial prosperity, and affluent citizens".
The Kubuqi Desert has been transformed into an oasis with a 400-kilometer "solar wall", featuring landmark projects like the "sand, desert, and wasteland" large-scale bases and integrated solar-sand control systems. These initiatives not only create "micro-ecosystems" for plants to reduce sediment in the Yellow River but also achieve dual wins in energy and ecology. This has spurred a low-carbon industrial chain, creating over 5,000 jobs and boosting average household income by 35,000 yuan ($4,500) annually.
Ordos has accelerated the intelligent upgrade of coal mines, with the "Mine Harmony" system developed by CHN Energy's Shendong Group and Huawei being implemented in nine national-level intelligent demonstration mines. By June 2025, 70 percent of intelligent coal mines in Inner Mongolia autonomous region are in Ordos, with a combined annual capacity of 700 million metric tons.
Focusing on wind, solar, hydrogen, storage, and vehicles, the city has built a "double hundred-gigawatt" industrial layout, achieving several firsts in the autonomous region. The zero-carbon industrial park has attracted over 10 leading new energy companies, with 2024 revenues exceeding 20 billion yuan.
As the "Chinese Cashmere Capital", Ordos has developed energy-efficient dyeing technology with zero wastewater discharge and uses smart pastures with BeiDou positioning and big data for grazing plans to reduce carbon emissions at the source, offering a Chinese model for the global cashmere industry's green transformation.
In Ordos today, areas once marked by "ecological scars" are now blossoming with hope for "green and prosperous coexistence". This green industry matrix paints a magnificent picture of high-quality development along the Yellow River.
