Recently, with the completion of the welding of the first cut-to-length rail joint, the rail welding base of CHN Energy Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway officially commenced operations. This milestone marks CHN Energy has possessed the capability to independently produce and supply long steel rails, and represents significant advancements in enhancing energy supply capacity, improving railway transportation safety and efficiency, and optimizing supply chain management. It injects new vitality into heavy-haul smart railway transportation.
The rail welding base is strategically located in Shenchi County, Shanxi Province, at the intersection of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Yellow River Golden Triangle Economic Zone and the Shaanxi-Shanxi-Hebei Energy Circle. This unique geographical position offers distinct advantages for the transportation and supply of long steel rails. The establishment of this base is a crucial strategic move by CHN Energy to address the challenge of long steel rail supply in the railway sector, reduce procurement costs, and enhance transportation safety. The construction of the base began in September 2022, with a total investment of 368 million yuan. Spanning an area of 198,000 square meters, it includes production workshops and auxiliary buildings covering 8,550 square meters. The facility is equipped with over 150 sets of advanced machinery, including welding and lifting equipment. It specializes in producing 500-meter-long steel rails with an annual design capacity of 1,000 kilometers. Boasting cutting-edge technologies and a high degree of digitalization, the base primarily serves the welding and transportation needs of long steel rails for different railway companies under CHN Energy.
The completion and operation of this base not only fill the gap in CHN Energy's independent production of long steel rails for railways, but also significantly enhance the stability, reliability, and timeliness of long steel rail supply. It has fostered an initial industrial chain encompassing the welding, loading and unloading, replacement, inspection, milling and grinding, and collection of steel rails. While bolstering CHN Energy's railway transportation capabilities, it also contributes positively to promoting high-quality regional economic development. Looking ahead, as the base maintains steady operations and technological innovations, CHN Energy's capacity to ensure energy supply will further improve, supporting the development of heavy-haul railway transportation in China.
