Xinjiang Aims to Build China's Largest Renewable Energy Industry Base

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Earlier this month, a 49.5-megawatt (MW) windfarm funded by Beijing Tianrun New Energy Investment Company Limited (Beijing), a wholly owned subsidiary of Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology Company Limited (SHE:002202) (Urumchi, Xinjiang), was fully commissioned in Bu'erjin County. The $62 million project is the first windfarm in the Ertix valley and the first large-scale online windfarm in Aletay, Xinjiang.

Construction of the windfarm was started in April 2008, according to Goldwind. Upon completion, the project could produce 120 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, effectively improving the power source structure and promoting the economic and social development in the Aletay region.

Xinjiang, occupying about one-sixth of the total land area in China, is a region rich in wind power resources. According to the meteorological data, total wind resources in Xinjiang reached 872 million kilowatt-hours, with a total exploitable wind power area of about 150,000 square kilometers in nine wind power areas such as Dabancheng, Xiaocaohu, Tacheng Laofengkou, Ertix Valley and the Lop Nur Lake area. The region's total installed capacity of wind power is expected to be more than 80 gigawatts (GW).

According to the investigation of HydroChina Northwest Hydro Consulting Engineers, the Ertix Valley has a total potential wind power resource of 5 GW, distributed in Habahe County, Buerjin County and Aletay City. The exploitable installed capacity of wind power in Buerjin County alone could be more than 2 GW.

Starting in 2006, counties along the Ertix Valley have actively sought business investments for the development of clean energy. At the end of May 2009, eight well known power enterprises in China, including Goldwind, China Huaneng Group, China Guodian Corporation and China Huadian Corporation (Beijing), had started to develop wind power resources in Buerjin County. With a total investment of $2.7 billion, wind power projects with a total planned capacity of 1,862 megawatts (MW) have started one after another. In 2008, China Huadian and China Guodian also signed an agreement to develop 200 MW of wind power projects in Habahe County. At the beginning of June 2009, CGNPC Wind Power Company Limited (Beijing) signed an agreement to invest $2.2 billion for the construction of 1,500 MW of windfarms in Aletay City.

Following the construction kick-off of these large windfarms in the Ertix Valley, and other important wind power projects in the region, Xinjiang is expecting to have one of the largest renewable energy industry bases in China.

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