Baotou inked 55 energy-related projects with a total contract investment of 82.73 billion yuan ($12.24 billion) at the second Modern Energy Industry Development Conference held recently in the city. Investors include six Fortune 500 companies, eight top 500 companies in China, and two top 500 private companies in China.

The city has been stepping up efforts to achieve its carbon goals as part of China's commitment to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. The 55 projects cover a wide range of fields in the energy sector, including new materials, new energy equipment manufacturing, modern energy services, hydrogen energy, environmental protection and intelligent manufacturing.

Baotou has attracted 3,936 companies for local investment, with 900 projects signed and a total contract investment of 868.4 billion yuan so far this year. Many of these investors are top 500 companies.