Shandong leads way in green technology, innovation

A resounding boom echoed through the air as a massive 16.5-ton hammer let rip from a pile-driving machine, dropping from a height of over 20 meters to deliver powerful blows to the ground foundations.

The dramatic scene took place recently at the construction site of the Environmental Protection and Industrial Research Base of Jinan University – in the Laishan district of Yantai city, in East China's Shandong province.

The new facility is a key provincial-level project in Shandong, with a focus on the production of environmental protection equipment, particularly those related to atmospheric governance.

In the future, it aims to collaborate with leading companies in the energy-saving and environmental protection industry in the district – like Jinzheng Eco-Technology Co Ltd – to create a national and leading hub for the research and development and manufacturing of environmental protection equipment.

Since 2023, Laishan district has been proactively promoting the growth of  the energy-saving and eco-friendly industry by encouraging close collaborations between universities and businesses.

Currently, the Nuclear Power Research and Development Center has registered 19 research institutes there, with nine of them working closely with local companies such as Yantai Taihai Group Co.

Meanwhile, the district has also established a Solid Waste Industry Research Institute in partnership with Jereh Group and Yantai University's Environmental Materials College.

This has resulted in comprehensive cooperation in areas such as recruitment, new technology expansion and shared experimental platforms.

Currently, Laishan district's energy-saving and environmental protection industrial supply chain has taken shape, with more than 50 related enterprises in the area.

Of these, more than 10 key enterprises, including Jereh Group and Jinzheng Eco-Technology Co Ltd, have mastered core technologies in the field.

In particular, in the first half of the year the output value of the energy-saving and environmental protection industry in Laishan district topped 3.435 billion yuan ($469.76 million). (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)

An image of the beautiful Laishan district surrounded by the sea on three sides. [Photo by Ji Haiyan for chinadaily.com.cn]