BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA), the joint venture that produces BMW vehicles in China, has opened a new engine plant with a light metal foundry in Shenyang. The new BBA plant, which has a capacity of 300,000 engines per year, will supply the company’s Dadong and Tiexi automotive plants in Northeastern China.

BMW said that, in addition to legacy combustion engines, the new plant will also produce high-voltage batteries for future plug-in hybrid models, but provided no further details.

The light metal foundry has a capacity of up to 15,000 tons of aluminum per year.

Both the engine plant and the foundry incorporate a variety of sustainability-enhancing technologies. Machining work uses a water recovery system that enables wastewater-free production, and the aluminum casting uses a process that reduces combustion residues by 98% and allows 90% of the sand used for casting to be recycled.

Source: BMW via Green Car Congress