It's quiet at the world's largest intelligent graphite mine, where all-electric unmanned mining trucks travel steadily along the stepped mine roads, automatically handling loading, unloading and intelligent obstacle avoidance — all free of mechanical noises and human intervention.

That's the scene at the Yunshan Graphite Mining Area in Luobei county, Hegang city, Heilongjiang province, where 5G connectivity covers the entire open-pit mine like an invisible net.

A few kilometers away, in the smart control center, dozens of large screens display real-time data on mining, crushing, mineral processing and transportation. With the click of a mouse, operators  ensure the entire mine operates like clockwork from this compact command hub.

This mining area is now undergoing a silent technological revolution, driving the former "coal city" to accelerate its integration into strategic emerging industries such as new energy, new materials and aerospace.

Intelligent reshaping of production methods

"In the past, mine production scheduling relied heavily on manual driving. Now, we can maintain stable mine operations from the dispatch center, with higher production efficiency and more reliable safety," said Yu Yuxing, general manager of Longxing Graphite Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Minmetals Corporation.

Equipped with a complete "5G + Industrial Internet" system, the Yunshan Graphite Mine has pivoted to full-process digitalization and intelligence, covering ore body modeling, directional blasting, mineral processing and deep processing. Real-time data transmitted to the backend is mined and analyzed by AI systems, enabling technicians to make decisions and issue instructions more efficiently and scientifically.

Currently, the Yunshan Graphite Mine is  the world's largest intelligent graphite mine in terms of both single-reserve volume and production scale, with an annual capacity of six million tonnes. Many of its innovative achievements have been recognized with national and provincial-level awards.

The transformation in production methods reflects a shift in the city's development philosophy. Hegang sees intelligence as the core of the graphite industry's transformation, integrating digital transformation and smart mine construction into its overall industrial development plan.

According to an official from the Hegang Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, the city has rolled out dedicated policies to support digital transformation, guided enterprises in building smart workshops, and helped them secure nearly 100 million RMB from national and provincial subsidies and incentive funds.

Promoting green transformation

Inside the production workshops, graphite purification equipment operates quietly, pipelines are neatly arranged, and dust is barely visible — reflecting Hegang's commitment to green development.

As a carbon allotrope, graphite boasts lubricity, electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and high-temperature resistance. It is a premium mineral resource in China and plays a crucial role in the development of high-tech industries.

"Graphite undergoes a remarkable transformation here, evolving from ordinary refined powder into high-end materials, with the entire process complying with green and environmental protection requirements," said Sun Nuo, technical director of China Minmetals (Heilongjiang) Graphite Industry Co., Ltd.

As one of China's largest graphite industry clusters, the Luobei Graphite Industrial Park implements unified collection, centralized treatment and standard-compliant discharge of all wastewater and solid waste, allowing enterprises to focus fully on production without environmental concerns.

Building on this foundation, Hegang has continued to promote the integration of graphite resources and the popularization of green technologies. In 2019, China Minmetals Corporation built the country's first green zero-carbon industrial demonstration park, where clean energy is widely applied, transportation systems operate in a low-carbon manner, and mining and transportation processes are fully electrified.

Currently, the Yunshan Graphite Mine has reserves exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, making it the world's largest single-crystalline graphite mine in terms of resource scale. At the end of 2025, the mine was successfully designated as a national green mine.

Home to 37 graphite enterprises, the city has a production capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of annual ore mining, 1.1 million tonnes of refined graphite powder, and 540,000 tonnes of deep-processed products.

Expanding its product lineup beyond traditional refined graphite powder, Hegang now offers high-value-added products such as ultra-high-purity graphite and high-performance anode materials, having built a complete industrial chain for new energy materials.

Hegang currently supplies more than 80 percent of the natural graphite raw materials used for anode production in China. The city plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the national new energy materials industry and its supply chains, as well as mitigating external resource shocks.