COFCO Coca-Cola Beverage Co's new Guizhou plant is designed to be eco-friendly. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A new production plant funded by COFCO Coca-Cola Beverage Co in Southwest China's Guizhou province officially started operating on July 10.

Located in the Guian New Area, the plant site covers 157 mu (10.47 hectares) and it has 42,000 square meters of workshops and support facilities. The plant is equipped with one production line for soft drinks and one for bottled water.

The annual production capability of the new plant is about 170,000 metric tons.

The design and operation of the plant focus on environmental protection and recycling. It aims to reduce energy consumption and the impact on the environment by recycling water, installing LED lights and using converter motors.

As COFCO Coca-Cola Beverage Co's 20th plant and Coca-Cola's 46th plant in China, the Guizhou plant is expected to boost the local economy and bolster opening-up in Southwest China.

Moving forwards, plans are for a second stage of the plant to start construction and eventually expand the total plant area to 600,000 square meters, to meet demand in Guizhou.