LHASA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) – The Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China is witnessing a significant shift in its power dynamics as it increasingly relies on its natural resources for green energy, marking a departure from previous dependence on electricity from Sichuan and Qinghai provinces during winter shortages.
This year, a slew of green power projects, including photovoltaic and wind power initiatives, have reached completion in Xizang. Notably, the Tsomey Drigu wind farm in the city of Shannan successfully connected 15 wind turbine generators, each boasting a single-unit capacity exceeding 3 megawatts, to the grid for power generation in early October. Some of these turbines, with a 3.6-megawatt capacity, now hold the distinction of being the largest single-unit capacity in operation in China’s high-altitude areas.
During the forthcoming peak period of power consumption from winter to spring, the region is set to have 1.39 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power, 100,000 kilowatts of wind power, and 1.12 million kilowatt-hours of energy storage projects integrated into the grid, according to the State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company Limited.
Mei Fangquan, Director of the Regional Energy Administration, expressed the region’s commitment to promoting a substantial transition of power systems towards a high proportion of new energy sources.
Drawing interest from enterprises in East China due to its rapid clean energy industry development, Xizang has become a focal point for investment. Song Huihua, who established an energy technology company in the region in 2018, highlighted the abundance of solar energy resources in Lhasa, the capital city, with over 3,000 hours of annual sunshine. His company specializes in heating devices utilizing solar energy, contributing to the region’s lower energy costs.
The development of clean energy technologies is transforming lives on the plateau, noted Li Xiuwu, Head of the Regional Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
Meanwhile, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an influx of power supply from new energy has led energy-consuming industries to transfer from the eastern regions. Xinjiang has added more than 20.1 million kilowatts of new energy installed capacity this year, ranking first in the country for new grid-connected installed capacity in 2023.
In Sichuan Province, rich in hydropower resources, clean energy is continuously transmitted to regions such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Baihetan hydropower station, the world’s second-largest in total installed capacity, has generated 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity since going fully operational last December.
Sichuan’s power grid development plan for 2022-2025 outlines accelerated efforts to construct an integrated renewable energy development base on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, incorporating hydropower, wind power, and solar power. This initiative aligns with China’s broader trend, highlighted by the National Energy Administration’s recent announcement that renewable energy capacity has surpassed thermal power for the first time, constituting over half of the country’s installed power generation capacity. The total installed power generation capacity of renewable energy in China has reached 1.45 billion kilowatts this year.