CHN Energy's breakthrough in coal tech to boost sector's development

CHN Energy Investment Group announced on Thursday that it has developed integrated spectral coal quality rapid detection technology, marking a significant advancement for China's coal quantity and quality control, said industry experts.

The technology, jointly developed by CHN Energy and video surveillance firm Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology — a leading provider of security products and solutions under China Electronics Technology Group Corp — automatically acquires and analyzes coal quality data in real-time, which significantly enhances the precision of coal quality detection while reducing transaction costs, CHN Energy said.

Leveraging the interdisciplinary integration of artificial intelligence, spectroscopy and chemical analysis to accurately detect moisture, ash and sulfur content in coal, the technology allows for full-scale, real-time, automatic detection across the coal supply and demand chain, it added.

While coal quality has been playing a critical role in the safe and stable operation of power plants, its input costs, traditional detection methods, technologies and equipment have become major obstacles to the green, low-carbon development of coal-fired power generation, said Yang Kun, executive vice-chairman of the China Electricity Council.

"The large-scale commercial adoption of AI-driven rapid coal quality detection technology marks a significant milestone in advancing high-quality growth within the energy sector," Yang said.

Li Yanjiang, Party secretary of the China National Coal Association, said China's coal sector has accelerated technological innovation this year, making significant strides in upgrading its industrial structure with major achievements such as cleaner coal utilization, intelligent modernization and the transition to low-carbon operations.

"The rapid coal quality detection technology represents a bold undertaking focused on breakthrough innovations at the source, which is set to become a new driving force in coal quantity and quality control, as well as in clean and efficient utilization," said Li.

"This technology will play a pivotal role in advancing the coal industry toward greener and more innovative development."

As coal remains a cornerstone of China's energy sector, with the country producing and importing 5.18 billion metric tons of the commodity in 2023, the need for precise coal quality data has become critical for production, sales, settlement and utilization, CHN Energy said.

However, traditional chemical-based coal quality detection methods have long been plagued by complex processes, lengthy workflows, high risk and prolonged analysis periods, thus hampering clean and efficient use of the mined product.

Traditional coal quality testing methods have proven to be time-consuming and costly, often requiring hours for results. With the new modality reducing testing times to just two minutes, the enhanced operational efficiency across the coal supply chain — from production to sales and utilization — will be vastly improved, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

While coal remains a major part of China's energy portfolio, the country has set ambitious goals for improving efficiency and reducing emissions. This new rapid detection technology not only enhances the efficiency of coal usage, but also supports cleaner utilization of this critical resource by ensuring precise and accurate data related to coal composition, Lin said.

The technology has been successfully applied across the full industry chain, including coal production, power generation, transportation and chemical processing. CHN Energy has used the detection technology and data platform to settle over 10 million tons of coal transactions for external clients as of Monday, with deviations far below industry standards, providing a strong demonstration effect, it said.

The group is working with Hikvision to scale up the technology's application and aims to establish industry standards for coal quality detection, thus accelerating its wider recognition and commercialization.

CHN Energy plans to deploy more than 80 detection devices across key coal regions and relevant enterprises within the company by the end of this year, covering coal quality detection for upstream and downstream sectors including coal, power, ports and chemicals.