China Launches Largest Bromine Production Project to Strengthen Strategic Resource Supply

China Railway Construction Kunlun Investment Group has officially launched the country's largest bromine production project in Tangshan, Hebei Province - a landmark initiative for China's bromine industry. The Caofeidian Steel & Power Industrial Park Seawater Bromine Extraction Project, with a designed annual output of 30,000 tons, will utilize power plant cooling seawater through a green, high-efficiency extraction process.

This project marks China Railway Construction's first strategic investment in the marine economy sector. Located on a 263.8-acre site within the Caofeidian Steel & Power Industrial Park, the facility will feature the nation's first 16-meter diameter extraction tower, setting a new benchmark for seawater bromine production. Construction is slated for completion in 2026, after which the plant is expected to account for 30% of China's total bromine output.

Bromine is a critical basic chemical widely used in flame retardants, pharmaceutical intermediates, and agrochemicals. It also plays an indispensable role in emerging industries such as electronics, new energy, and aerospace. Given that bromine concentration in seawater averages 65 mg/L, extracting one ton of high-purity bromine requires over 15,000 tons of seawater - making traditional extraction methods energy-intensive and low-yield.

China currently relies heavily on bromine imports to meet its industrial demand, a situation exacerbated by rapid growth in sectors like new energy vehicles and lithium batteries. Ensuring a stable, sustainable domestic bromine supply has become a strategic priority.

According to China Railway Construction, the project is expected to generate RMB 1.5 billion (approx. USD 210 million) in annual output value and drive over RMB 5 billion (approx. USD 700 million) in upstream and downstream industry investments. The company also plans to build an integrated bromine industry base - covering research, production, and applications - to support the high-quality development of China's advanced materials sector.

Moreover, the project's technological advancement in seawater bromine extraction could significantly shift the industry away from traditional underground brine sources, boosting national production capacity and securing China's strategic bromine reserves from the resource level upwards.