Inner Mongolia is an important energy provider for China, but its rapid growth in coal production and consumption caused it to miss its energy consumption control targets during the 13th FYP period, increasing its motivation to shift to low-carbon development. To support Inner Mongolia’s transition efforts, NRDC released four reports on Inner Mongolia’s low-carbon transition and ecological restoration of mining areas: Green Transformation of Coal Production and Consumption in Inner Mongolia, Correlation Analysis of Coal Consumption and Air Quality in Typical Cities, Low-Carbon Development of Holingol Industrial Park, and Ecological Restoration and Renewable Energy Utilization in Coal Mining Subsidence Areas. The report release workshop on Energy Transition and Sustainable Development was held in collaboration with the Inner Mongolia Research Institute of Northern Urban and Village Development, the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC) and the Ordos Forestry and Grassland Development Center on July 23 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. 

The Green Transformation of Coal Production and Consumption report recommends that Inner Mongolia cap its coal production capacity at around 1.1 billion tons from the 14th to 16th FYP period to ensure it reaches its carbon peaking goal while staying efficient as an energy provider; the Air Quality in Typical Cities report identifies industrial air pollutant reduction and controlling industrial coal consumption as the most important approach to improve air quality in Inner Mongolia’s cities. 

The other two reports examined local industrial park and restored coal mining area as case studies. The Holingol Industrial Park report examines the Park’s industrial structure and recommends that it improve energy efficiency by enhancing low-carbon production of electrolytic aluminum and reuse of solid wastes. The Ecological Restoration report takes the Buertai coal mine as an example to better reuse coal mining subsidence areas and abandoned mines to develop renewable energy, and to restore the areas for biodiversity conservation. 

The workshop was well attended by local government officials and industrial experts, including officials from Inner Mongolia Environment Department, Inner Mongolia Forestry and Grassland Office, and deputy head of the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Science. Key findings were covered by key industry and state media, such as China Environment News, China News Service, and China Science Daily and reposted by the provincial government website and provincial energy bureau website.