Over 8,400 Scrapped Transformers Get a Green Rebirth as Chongqing Turns Power Waste into “Urban Mines”

In Yongchuan, Chongqing, more than 8,400 scrapped transformers and over 8,500 tonnes of decommissioned cables have not ended up as industrial waste. Instead, they have been carefully dismantled and transformed into 26,700 tonnes of high-purity copper and aluminum, which have returned to production lines. It is equivalent to creating a new “mine” from scrapped power-grid materials.

Automated disassembly line at the Yongchuan Electric Power Renewable Resource Recycling Center. Photo by State Grid Chongqing Electric Power

Behind this “green rebirth” is State Grid Chongqing Electric Power’s practice of building waste-free power systems. In the past, most scrapped power-grid materials were simply sold off. Today, the Yongchuan Electric Power Renewable Resource Recycling Center has established a fully closed-loop chain covering collection, transportation, storage, dismantling, sorting, and reuse, turning waste into raw materials. In September 2025, the center obtained two international certifications: ISO 14067 product carbon footprint certification and ISO 14021 environmental labels and declarations certification.
“Carbon footprint certification has completely changed the previous situation in which our carbon-reduction data were unclear,” said Wang Kaicai, the center’s on-site manager. He noted that recycling one tonne of aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy required to produce primary aluminum and reduces carbon emissions by 13.35 tonnes. This significantly lowers energy consumption and carbon-related costs, while opening up a new field for value-added services involving waste materials from power companies.
Data show that since 2022, State Grid Chongqing Electric Power has completed the dismantling and disposal of more than 8,400 scrapped transformers, over 8,500 tonnes of scrapped cables, and other materials. A total of 26,700 tonnes of recycled resources, including copper, aluminum, and iron, have been sent to downstream manufacturers for reuse. The work has achieved a cumulative carbon-emission reduction of about 1.12 million tonnes, equivalent to planting more than 42 million trees, greatly promoting green value creation through recycled-resource reuse and improving both energy conservation and carbon reduction capabilities.