The autonomous region in north-west China is one of the most important bases in the country’s west-east power transmission programme. — China Daily
Beijing: The sixth International Conference on High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC), held in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has outlined a new blueprint for China-Central Asia energy development.
The conference held from Aug 8-10 also helped the two sides strengthen cooperation in continuous HVDC technological innovation.
Xinjiang, with its unique geographical advantages and abundant comprehensive energy resources, will increasingly highlight its position in China-Central Asia energy development and cooperation, according to the conference.
The autonomous region in north-west China is one of the most important bases in the country’s west-east power transmission programme.
It also serves as a major energy production base and ranks among the best in terms of solar and wind energy resources in China.
Deng Mingjiang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chairman of the Xinjiang Association for Science and Technology, said at the conference that by the end of this year, Xinjiang’s cumulative installed capacity of renewable energy (RE) is expected to exceed 89 million kilowatts, making RE the largest power source in the autonomous region.
The integration of large-scale RE represents an important demonstration in building a new type of power system with renewables as the mainstay in China.
Experts said the key lies in creating efficient energy transmission channels that connect Xinjiang with Central Asia’s power grid.
In 2010, the autonomous region connected the Hami-Dunhuang 750-kilovolt power transmission and transformation project with the national power grid.
Then in 2014, Xinjiang’s first ultrahigh-voltage transmission line from South Hami to Zhengzhou was completed and put into operation.
The Changji-Guquan UHVDC transmission line became the world’s highest-voltage, longest-distance, and highest-capacity project in the sector when it was completed in September 2019.
Meanwhile, Xinjiang is constructing the third UHVDC channel, linking Hami and Chongqing. It is expected to be completed by 2025, with an annual transmission capacity of more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours.
The operation of channels sending power out of Xinjiang enhances China’s energy transmission capacity. It not only addresses the supply-demand imbalance of regional energy but provides a more convenient passage for Central Asian energy to enter China.
As a large-scale clean-energy base planned and constructed by China, Xinjiang is rich in wind, solar, hydrogen and other resources.
In recent years, it has increased the proportion of RE resources used for power generation and achieved breakthroughs in energy technology development.
On June 30, 2023, China Petrochemical Corp announced that its green hydrogen plant in Kuqa, Xinjiang, had begun operations.
As the largest project of its kind in China, the company’s technical team has made several breakthroughs and addressed the challenges of continuous and stable supply.
It has also achieved industrial applications in complete sets of technology for electrolytic hydrogen production, intelligent control systems and other innovative achievements.
Most of the major equipment and materials related to the project can be domestically produced. — China Daily/ANN
