Chinese heavy equipment factory pioneers efforts towards zero-carbon production
Tianjin (ANTARA) - The manufacturing sector has long been synonymous with a large carbon footprint. However, across China’s industrial landscape, a number of factories are working to change that.
The Cener Tech Tianjin Offshore Equipment Intelligent Manufacturing Base, inaugurated in June 2025 in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, has been certified by local authorities as a zero-carbon factory—a designation that seemed unattainable for heavy equipment plants until recently.
The facility, operated by the state-owned enterprise China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Energy Technology & Services Limited, primarily produces oil casing pipes, which are steel tubes several to tens of metres long that support the walls of drilling wells.
Typically, the production process requires substantial energy. However, at this facility, the process has been fundamentally re-engineered.
At the core of this transformation is a digital twin system, a virtual replica of the 20,000-square-metre factory that draws real-time data from every machine. A wall-sized screen in the oil casing pipe factory tracks the location of each pipe, its processing status, and energy consumption as it moves through production.
“This system reads equipment parameters around the clock,” said Shen Guohua, who leads the intelligent manufacturing project. Remote diagnostics reduce downtime. Real-time obstacle identification boosts efficiency. Both contribute to emission reductions.
QR codes on each pipe enable automatic tracking at every processing stage. As a result, the entire factory operates with just six workers monitoring screens and responding to emergencies.
Zhang Weiming, the project manager, said technological innovation, structural adjustments, and management optimisation are the three main mechanisms for achieving zero-carbon status at the facility.
A cockpit serves as a control centre, analysing data to recommend efficiency improvements. A series of solar panels covers the roof, channelling clean energy into the grid alongside green electricity purchased through market trading.
Dozens of smart lampposts capture wind and solar power while monitoring temperature, humidity, and air quality. These lampposts save about 19,000 kWh annually and feed data to a smart climate system that makes dynamic adjustments instead of relying on fixed heating and cooling, reducing energy use by around 30 per cent. Meanwhile, rainwater harvesting is implemented following the country’s “sponge city” principles.
For the small portion of unavoidable residual emissions, the factory purchases certified voluntary emission reductions through the carbon market to achieve zero-carbon status.
The project comes as China accelerates broader efforts towards a green transition. In early 2026, five ministries issued guidelines to promote the development of zero-carbon factories across various industrial sectors.
China’s current Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) targets a 17 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). China has also pledged to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions across its economy by 7 to 10 per cent from peak levels by 2035.
In March, the country’s top legislative body passed crucial Ecological and Environmental Protection Regulations. These are designed to advance carbon reduction, pollution control, green expansion, and coordinated economic growth, ensuring that development and conservation no longer compete but proceed in harmony.
Driven by this national momentum, Chinese companies are transforming carbon reduction from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage.
“Low carbon does not mean increased costs, but rather multiplied efficiency,” said Zhang. Zero-carbon design is planned, implemented, and realised alongside increased production.
He added that investments in high-efficiency equipment and digital infrastructure reflect long-term strategic planning for sustainable and high-quality growth.