Installed capacity of clean energy generation in Xinjiang hits 40.7 million kilowatts in 2022

Installed capacity of clean energy generation in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hit 40.66 million kilowatts by the end of 2022, exceeding 40 million kilowatts for the first time, according to State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.

Photo shows a wind farm project at Santang Lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Chen Jianjun)

Installed capacity of clean energy generation accounts for 36.09 percent of Xinjiang’s total installed capacity, which is also an illustration of how the region’s energy consumption pattern has improved.

The generation capacity of wind power made up 26.15 million kilowatts, while that of photovoltaic power reached 14.51 million kilowatts.

Over 4.04 million kilowatts of additional new energy capacity was installed in the region last year, up by 254.17 percent year on year. December 2022 alone witnessed the installation of 2.59 million kilowatts of additional new energy capacity, which made up 97.27 percent of the total installed capacity in Xinjiang that month.

Thanks to the expanding installed capacity, 76.84 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in Xinjiang was generated by new energy in 2022, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all electricity produced in the region.

Xinjiang boasts an abundance of new energy resources, and is a major clean energy base in China as well as an important component of China's west-to-east power transmission program. State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd ramped up efforts to build its power transmission and distribution network and completed projects such as a 750-KV transmission and transformation project in 2022, which provided strong support for electricity consumption within Xinjiang while also enhancing the region’s capability to transmit electricity to other parts of the country.

Furthermore, State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd invested 3.12 billion yuan (about $451.36 million) into new energy development in 2022, and rolled out some favorable measures to make applications for and approval of new energy projects more convenient.