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The plant is expected to reach 30,000 tpy of magnesium capacity by the end of the year, before ramping up to full capacity within the next year or two, according to Wang.
Construction of the facility has been completed and the magnesium chloride dehydration system was commissioned on December 31 2016, Wang said, adding that production of pure magnesium began in January of this year.
“We are a green production factory”, he said, adding that the project uses a mix of hydro, wind and solar power “which surpasses the Pidgeon process”.
The hydro-wind-solar mix provides 90% of the facility’s electricity while coal power provides the remaining 10%. The company is using Norsk Hydro technology for electrolysis, Wang added.
In August last year, Chinese president Xi Jinping visited the plant which is said to be driving the “Green Magnesium” initiative in China.
“We are aligned with China’s policies supporting green magnesium. ‘Made in China 2025’ defines lightweighting of new energy vehicles as one of the key tasks,” Wang said
“QingHai SaltLake’s green magnesium [facility] is a timely project and will support lightweight demand in the auto industry. We can reduce carbon emissions,” he added.
Lightweighting has seen crucial demand in auto, railways, aircrafts and other industries particularly in new energy vehicles. See also: Qinghai Salt Lake starts construction of 100,000 tpy Mg facility