World's largest energy plant turns waste into energy in Shenzhen, China

On the outskirts of the fast-growing city of Shenzhen in south-eastern China, a new cutting-edge energy plant has been commissioned. The Shenzhen Energy Ring incinerates up to 5,000 tonnes of waste daily and generates 1.2 billion kWh of electricity per year, which is supplied directly to the city's energy grid. At the same time, the facility invites the public inside with exhibitions, guided tours and panoramic views from the circular roof path.

The facility addresses one of the biggest global challenges of our time: how to deal with the increasing waste consumption in the world's major cities. The Shenzhen Energy Ring is the world's largest facility of its kind, created as a new public destination where learning and recreation go hand in hand with advanced waste incineration.

“The Energy Ring isn’t just infrastructure; it’s a journey of discovery,” says Chris Hardie, Design Director for SHL’s Shanghai studio. “I think the most important part of this project is for visitors to experience the scale of this facility and to leave with a lasting impression about the importance of minimizing waste in our daily lives.”

The facility offers visitors a unique opportunity to understand how waste is converted into energy through exhibitions, guided tours and interactive experiences. Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by a plaza with landscaped gardens and an information board showing the day's waste processing in real time. The Shenzhen Energy Ring exceeds both Chinese and EU emission standards. From an internal bridge, visitors can follow the plant's processes before proceeding to an exhibition hall where current environmental issues are presented. The experience culminates on a glass bridge where visitors can follow the combustion process up close. After a break in the café, visitors can take the lift to the roof, where a 1.1 km long walkway offers panoramic views of the landscape and the solar cells that generate energy.

Despite its complex functions, the Energy Ring’s simple form is an efficient shape, a tapered and tilted lattice drum, that contains all the plant’s functions within the smallest area possible.

“We controlled the footprint to reduce the amount of excavation required to build on the site,” says SHL Project Director Chao Chen. “Our approach compresses multiple functions into a smaller area, and in turn, this brings spaces for education, exhibition, and research facilities together, and allows us to maintain a building coverage that is 11% less than the maximum allowed.”

“The conical building design with the tapered facades was born out of our desire to integrate this complex technical facility into the natural and hilly landscape in the best possible way. An open lamella façade design principle enabled us to create a simple and continuous figure, while still allowing for all the necessary technical functions to penetrate the outer skin”, says Thomas Bonde-Hansen, Design Director at Gottlieb Paludan Architects.

The building's façade consists of steel louvres with a self-cleaning orange coating, which together with a perforated metal mesh contribute to both aesthetics and functionality. The louvres control access, airflow and natural ventilation, while daylight reduces the need for artificial lighting. As one of the first industrial buildings in China to achieve LEED Gold, the design incorporates several ambitious sustainability features, including a 7,400 square metre photovoltaic system that generates approximately 3.6 million kWh annually.

Developed in response to the global waste crisis, the Shenzhen Energy Ring is a local solution with a global perspective. The project combines technological efficiency with communication and architectural beauty - demonstrating that even high-performance energy facilities can be transparent, inspiring and open to the public.