Shanxi province will push energy transition and industrial upgrading during China's 15th "Five-Year Plan" period, with steel and coking sectors set for green and low-carbon overhauls, the provincial industry and information technology department said at a briefing on September 14.

The province will focus on three directions — energy transition, industrial upgrading and moderate diversification — while pursuing intelligent, green and integrated development, the department said at the 12th press conference in a series on the 15th "Five-Year Plan".

Traditional industries account for more than 70% of Shanxi's manufacturing sector, and their transformation is critical to the province's high-quality development, the department said.

For the steel sector, Shanxi will focus on "supporting the strong and phasing out the weak, improving quality and cutting carbon".

The province will accelerate mergers and reorganizations through capacity replacement, raise industrial concentration, promote low-carbon metallurgy and clean steel smelting, and expand supply of steel for high-end equipment. It aims for manufacturing-use steel to account for more than 60% of output by 2030.

For the coking industry, Shanxi will pursue "stabilizing coke and developing chemicals, green upgrading". The province will upgrade equipment, promote integrated coal-steel-coking development, and extend coking byproducts into electronic chemicals and high-end carbon materials.

To ensure the 15th "Five-Year Plan" targets are met, Shanxi will build a policy support system, promoting smart factory construction in steel, nonferrous and chemical industries and using digital technology across production processes.

On green and low-carbon manufacturing, Shanxi will develop low-energy, high-value-added industries such as high-end equipment, new materials and electronic information, while pushing traditional sectors including steel and nonferrous metals downstream.

The province will steadily raise end-use electrification, promote short-process steelmaking, explore hydrogen substitution and increase green power consumption.

Shanxi will also focus on key energy-consuming industries including steel, coking and chemicals, accelerating equipment upgrades, optimizing processes, strengthening waste heat and pressure recovery, and building digital energy-carbon management centers.

For emerging industries, Shanxi will focus on seven directions. In new materials, the province will strengthen its industrial base in advanced steel, nonferrous metals and chemicals, while filling gaps in strategic materials such as electronic materials, energy materials and high-performance fibers, and fostering new growth poles in cutting-edge structural and functional materials.

In the aerospace sector, Shanxi will integrate into the national aerospace supply chain, focusing on aerospace-grade special steel and other new materials.