China Approves Environmental Assessment for Baotou Aluminum Industrial Park's Cogeneration Project

Researched by Industrial Info Resources China (Beijing, China)--The environment impact assessment (EIA) report prepared by Beijing Jingcheng Jiayu Environmental Science & Technology Company Limited (Beijing) for Baotou Aluminum Company Limited's (Baotou, Inner Mongolia) 660-megawatt (MW) cogeneration power project was accepted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on April 17, 2013, according to an announcement from the MEP on April 22.

The Baotou Aluminum Cogeneration Power Project is southeast of Baotou National Ecological (Aluminum) Industrial Demonstrative Park in Baotou City, in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which is about 2 kilometers from the Yellow River.

Early in 2004, Baotou Aluminum Group had mandated Inner Mongolia Electric Power Survey and Design Institute (Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) prepare the feasibility study report and EIA report for the construction two 300-MW, air-cooling, combined heat and power units in Donghe District of Baotou City; an EIA report received approval in 2005. However, due to the lack of financing, the project was not implemented until the change of its investor from Baotou Aluminum Group to Baotou Aluminum, a subsidiary of Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (SH.601600) (Beijing) and the listed flagship of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Beijing), in 2011.

At the beginning of 2012, the project received preliminary approval from the National Energy Administration to begin pre-stage work. According to the approval, the project will be furnished with two 1,065-ton-per-hour, subcritical, coal-fired, cyclic fluidized bed (CFB) boilers to support two 330-MW, air-cooling steam turbine generators, plus associated common and support facilities to supply power and heat to the owner's aluminum smelter and residents in Donghe District. The total investment is estimated to be $430 million, including about $45 million for environmental protection, accounting for 10.5% of the total.

According to the schedule, the total construction period for the project will be 18 months. Both units are expected to begin operations in 2015.

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