Economic Watch: China harnesses biomass energy to power green transition

NANJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- At a biomass power plant in the city of Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, giant mechanical claws repeatedly feed bundles of dried straw onto conveyor belts. The straw is then transported to furnaces and converted into clean energy.

This facility can process around 300,000 tonnes of agricultural residues like wheat, corn and rice straw annually, producing over 220 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

"That's equivalent to saving about 90,000 tonnes of coal and cutting roughly 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year," said Zhang Yunfei, director of the dispatch center at State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company.

Biomass energy is largely derived from agricultural and forestry waste, livestock manure and organic refuse -- materials once dismissed as mere waste. With the rise of clean energy technologies and increasing environmental awareness, China is viewing these materials as a vital part of its energy transition.

"Fewer farmers now burn straw in the fields, a practice that poses fire hazards and pollutes the air. Instead, crop residues are transported to modern biomass power plants," Zhang said.

"Xuzhou is rich in biomass resources and holds significant potential for energy conversion," Zhang added. The city now operates 17 large-scale biomass plants with a combined installed capacity of 335.6 megawatts, generating nearly 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

China is one of the world's most biomass-rich countries. Statistics from the Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association show that the country produces approximately 3.5 billion tonnes of agricultural, forestry and household biomass resources annually. However, the utilization rates remain relatively low.

In January, China's first national energy law came into effect, calling for the tailored development of biomass power based on regional conditions.

Shanghai in east China has established pilot projects to convert biomass into green methanol, aiming to drive a low-carbon transformation in international shipping and build green fuel supply capacity of 300,000 tonnes within the city by 2030.

Meanwhile, enterprises in Anhui Province, also in east China, are scaling up biogas liquefaction and carbon capture initiatives, converting discarded straw and livestock waste into purified methane for liquefied bio-natural gas.

At a circular economy industrial park in the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu, advanced facilities process around 500 tonnes of corporate kitchen waste daily.

"About 90 percent of kitchen waste can be recycled into biomass natural gas for the city's gas grid, or converted into nutrient-rich soil for landscaping," said Huang Yuanchen, general manager of an environmental protection company in the park.

"It's not just kitchen waste. Tree branches and fallen leaves can also be recycled and processed into biomass fuel pellets for use in thermal power plants," Huang revealed, while noting that his company can process 100 tonnes of green waste daily, generating annual fuel pellet sales of up to 9 million yuan (roughly 1.26 million U.S. dollars).

Yu Tong, president of the China Association for the Promotion of Industrial Development, emphasized that achieving carbon neutrality demands transformative changes in energy consumption. "Biomass energy is abundant and versatile. It can be solid, liquid or gas -- and can replace fossil fuels across multiple sectors."

According to a 2025 China biomass energy industry report, the country's installed biomass power capacity had reached 45.99 million kilowatts by the end of 2024, with total power generation hitting 208.3 billion kilowatt-hours and biogas output reaching about 500 million cubic meters.

"To bring biomass power to the power grid, centralized control systems are being rolled out for real-time monitoring of power plant performance and output, enhancing both power generation efficiency and stability," said Li Yi, head of development planning at State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company.

Yang Xudong, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, underscored the further potential of biomass utilization.

"Biomass energy can be easily stored and transported, and can serve as an alternative to other commercial fuels. It not only yields substantial economic returns, but retains its carbon-neutral identity."

"In the future, further efforts should be made to optimize the entire biomass value chain and boost biomass energy consumption to fully unleash its green potential," Yang added. Enditem