Ningbei Aluminum & Power Begins Construction on 930-Megawatt Coal-Fired Power Project in Northwestern China

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Qinghai Ningbei Aluminum & Power Company Limited (QNAPC) (Xining, China) laid the foundation on June 17 for a 930-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power project in the Datong Hui Autonomous County in northwestern China's Qinghai province. The project will be built in two phases.

After four units are shut down in the former Qiaotou Power Plant, two 135-MW coal-fired units with flue gas desulfurization devices will be built in Phase I, which is expected to begin operation in 2009. Phase II is expected to begin construction in 2009 after 50 MW at the Qiaotou plant is shut down. Two 330-MW air-cooling coal-fired units will be built in this phase, with completion slated for 2010. The project will add about 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours to the Qinghai grid and also expand the scale of the combined operation of coal, power and aluminum while promoting local economic development.

Electric power is one of Qinghai's key industries; therefore, the province will accelerate the development of resources as well as construction in the energy sector, said Ma Jiantang, the province's Vice Governor. As power demand in Qinghai continues to increase, a significant shortage is expected near the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan period and during the 12th Five-Year Plan Period.

QNAPC is a fully-owned subsidiary of Qinghai Provincial Investment Corporation (Xining, China), established to build thermal power projects based on the nation's policy toward energy conservation and emissions reduction by replacing several smaller units with fewer larger units.

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