Development of new energy enters the fast lane in Turpan

On Feb 6, seven new energy projects, including the 500,000-kilowatt wind power project of Guangdong Energy in Toksun county, Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, obtained approval for connection to the power grid system. It is expected that the total grid-connected installed capacity of new energy in 2025 will reach 5.055 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 152 percent.

Turpan, also known as the "hottest place in China", is located in the central area of the nine major wind regions in Xinjiang. It is rich in wind and solar resources. The average annual sunshine duration is as long as 3,200 hours. The technically and economically exploitable capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power reaches 40.1 million kilowatts and 98 million kilowatts, respectively. The scale of new energy projects under construction and those that have been filed has exceeded 20 million kilowatts.

To meet the needs of new energy development and grid connection, the State Grid Turpan Power Supply Company has made advanced plans to promote power grid projects such as 750-kilovolt and 220-kilovolt ones. This year, it plans to invest 86.33 million yuan ($11.81 million) in the construction of three projects, including the 220-kilovolt power transmission project from the Guodian Tou Shanzhan Gaoquan South Step-up Aggregation Station. A total of 48.88 kilometers of 220-kilovolt transmission lines will be newly built to optimize the regional grid structure, enhance the power-supply capacity and reliability of the regional power grid, and ensure the smooth grid connection of new energy projects.

In 2024, the total power generation in Turpan was 25.77 billion kilowatt-hours, among which the power generation from new energy was 6.561 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 25.46 percent. After the new energy projects are connected to the grid in 2025, the installed capacity of new energy will exceed 10 million kilowatts, reaching 10.595 million kilowatts. It is expected that the annual power generation will exceed 10 billion kilowatt-hours.