Country accelerates use of AI in energy

China Energy Investment Corp, the country's largest coal-fired power generator by capacity, is accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence across core operational sectors, including smart mining, power generation and heavy-haul rail transport, company officials announced.

The integration of the "AI+ Energy" paradigm is delivering significant operational breakthroughs for the company, said Zhao Zhe, a spokesperson for CHN Energy, at a news briefing on corporate performance in Beijing on Wednesday.

These innovations have cut wind turbine maintenance time by 60 percent while boosting overall labor efficiency in smart coal mines to five times the national average, Zhao said.

According to Zhao, the State-owned enterprise's AI capabilities are centered around "Qingyuan", China's first 100-billion-parameter AI model designed specifically for the power industry.

Applied across more than 500 wind power stations operated by Longyuan Power, a subsidiary of CHN Energy, the model processes real-time data from 140 million kilowatts of installed capacity, he said.

It achieves equipment anomaly warning accuracy exceeding 85 percent and comprehensive diagnostic accuracy of 90 percent, successfully shifting operations from reactive maintenance to proactive early warning.

In smart mining, all 10 of CHN Energy's first-batch national demonstration smart coal mines have completed official acceptance, with coal mining faces achieving 100 percent mid — to high-level intelligent operations.

Meanwhile, in energy logistics, the company deployed China's first autonomous 10,000-metricton heavy-haul train on the Shenmu-Shuozhou line. This move boosted operational speeds by 3 kilometers per hour and saved 5.6 million yuan ($830,000) in annual labor costs.

Major Chinese energy enterprises are rapidly embedding AI across their full operational value chain, establishing technological innovation as a vital pillar of the nation's energy security.

"The deployment of 'industrial brains' across the energy sector represents a pivotal shift from basic automation to deep, data-driven intelligence," said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University. "By embedding AI into core operational workflows, China is ensuring that its 'smart energy' transition not only optimizes resource allocation but also provides a resilient foundation for national energy security."

The corporation's technological push comes alongside strong operational performance. In the first half of 2026, CHN Energy reported coal production and sales of approximately 420 million tons, up 6.9 percent year-on-year, while total power generation reached nearly 600 billion kilowatt-hours, representing a 3.3 percent increase.

According to guidelines from the National Energy Administration, China is systematically advancing the digital and intelligent transformation of its energy infrastructure to enhance system flexibility, safeguard supply security and meet national dual-carbon goals.

"The deep integration of AI into traditional energy assets is no longer just an efficiency tool, but a structural imperative," said Lin. "By deploying AI across the full supply chain — from extraction and generation to logistics — energy giants like CHN Energy are establishing a scalable model that balances energy security with low-carbon modernization."