BEIJING: The world’s biggest solar plant, a 5-gigawatt (GW) facility spanning 200,000 acres in northwestern Xinjiang, has been successfully connected to the grid. This monumental project, located in the desert area of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, was developed by the Power Construction Corp of China and was announced operational on Monday by the Chinese state asset regulator.
This vast solar farm is set to generate approximately 6.09 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually, enough to power Papua New Guinea for an entire year. Previously, the largest operational solar facilities were also in western China, with capacities of 3GW each: the Ningxia Tenggeli desert solar project by Longyuan Power Group and the Golmud Wutumeiren solar complex by China Lüfa Qinghai New Energy.
Xinjiang, known for its abundant solar and wind resources, has emerged as a key hub for renewable energy projects. The region’s energy bases supply significant power across vast distances to China’s densely populated eastern seaboard, contributing to the nation’s renewable energy infrastructure.
