China’s first renewable energy export base located in the country’s desert, Gobi, and arid regions has officially begun operations, with the first two 1-gigawatt (GW) coal-fired power units at the northern Tianshan Gobi Energy Base in Xinjiang successfully completing 168 hours of full-load trial operation as of June 13.
Original By NLS
China’s first renewable energy export base located in the country’s desert, Gobi, and arid regions has officially begun operations, with the first two 1-gigawatt (GW) coal-fired power units at the northern Tianshan Gobi Energy Base in Xinjiang successfully completing 168 hours of full-load trial operation as of June 13.
Jointly developed by China Huadian Corporation and China Resources Group, the energy base is situated deep in the Santanghu Gobi area of Hami. It serves as a supporting power source for the “Xinjiang-to-Chongqing” ±800 kilovolt (kV) ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current transmission project—China’s third UHV outbound power transmission corridor under the 14th Five-Year Plan. The project adopts an integrated approach combining wind, solar, thermal, and energy storage to enable large-scale renewable energy delivery across regions, supporting both national energy optimization and coordinated regional development.
The project is particularly significant for Chongqing, where electricity demand continues to rise alongside the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. Due to limited local energy resources, the city’s future electricity needs will increasingly rely on external supply. According to Chongqing’s 14th Five-Year Energy Development Plan (2021–2025), total electricity consumption is projected to reach 162 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) by 2025. Once fully operational, the Xinjiang base will be capable of transmitting over 36 billion kWh of electricity annually—covering nearly one-quarter of Chongqing’s projected demand.
The energy base will have a total installed capacity of 14.2 GW, including 4 GW of coal-fired power, 7 GW of wind, 3 GW of solar photovoltaic, and 200 megawatts (MW) of solar thermal capacity. It will also be equipped with a 1.2 GW/4.8 GWh electrochemical energy storage system. The project is being developed under a unified planning model that emphasizes large-scale renewable energy generation, clean and efficient coal power based on local coal resources, and reliable UHV transmission for long-distance power delivery.
All units—except the solar thermal system—are expected to be in operation by December 2025. Once complete, the base will deliver 36 billion kWh of green electricity annually through the Hami–Chongqing ±800 kV UHV DC line, providing a major clean energy boost to the Sichuan-Chongqing region.