Xinjiang's installed new energy capacity exceeds 50 mln kilowatts

URUMQI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The total installed capacity of new energy in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region reached 50.26 million kilowatts after a 500,000-kilowatt photovoltaic project was connected to the grid on Thursday.

The region's installed capacity of new energy accounts for 41 percent of its total installed capacity, said the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.

The company said that, in the first half of this year, investment in Xinjiang's new energy power supply and supporting power grids reached over 36.36 billion yuan (about 5.08 billion U.S. dollars). It boosted the region's economic growth by approximately 1.85 percentage points and created around 2,700 new jobs.

So far, the 750-kV power grid has covered 14 prefecture-level cities in Xinjiang, providing strong support for the consumption of new energy electricity, which has also been transmitted to eastern Chinese cities.

Rich in wind and solar power resources, Xinjiang is one of the leading regions in the country in terms of new energy development.