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MOR to buy electric engines

By Chen Jialu (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-21 10:48

The Ministry of Railways has contracted the construction of 1,200 clean and energy-efficient electric locomotives to replace the diesel-powered engines on various lines.

Prototypes of the electric locomotives, developed by China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co Ltd (CSR), were showcased earlier this month.

The model, which is a 9.6-megawatt six-axle AC transmission electric locomotive, completed its trial run in CSR's Zhuzhou facilities in Hunan province last Friday.

The Ministry of Railways has signed a purchase agreement of intention with Zhuzhou Electric Locomotives, the CSR's unit that builds the engines, Xu Zongxiang, general manager of CSR, told a press briefing in Zhuzhou. The order is valued at 27 billion yuan ($3.95 billion). And the ministry has placed a firm order of 500 locomotives, Xu said.

CSR independently designed and manufactured the locomotive and owned all the related intellectual property rights.

The company said it aims to turn Zhuzhou, a heavy industry city of Hunan province, into the world's largest electric locomotive manufacturing base. It has invested about 1 billion yuan to expand and upgrade its electric locomotives production lines.

Zheng Changhong, president of CSR, said the achievement in self-innovation will largely boost the nation's railway modernization process and put the domestic locomotives manufacturing technology in line with the world's most advanced level.

China is quickening its steps to develop electric locomotives to replace diesel locomotives in recent years, to save more fuel and exhaust less gas emission, said Zhang Shuguang, director of the transportation bureau with the ministry.

"The annual electric energy consumption of one set of electric locomotive is 500,000 yuan less than the annual fuel consumption of a diesel locomotive," said Zhang.

"The replacement of one diesel locomotive into electric locomotive could also equal to the reduction of gas emission of 4,000 vehicles," Zhang said.

There are currently about 17,000 sets of locomotives across the country, among which the number of electric locomotives stands under 6,000 sets, accounting for less than one third, according to Zhang.