In Xinjiang, Hami's wind power revolution keeps blowing

Harnessing strong wind power with advanced wind-storage integration technology is one of the key strategies in China's green energy transition. Hami Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is already listed as an important national energy base with abundant solar and wind resources.

The Shisanjianfang wind-storage integration project, launched at Bailifengqu (literally meaning "a high-wind area") which extends over a hundred kilometers, is the largest in Xinjiang.

With an installed generation capacity of 1,000MW and a storage capacity of 300MW/1,200MWh, the Shisanjianfang wind-storage integration project, invested in and built by China Shipbuilding Group Wind Power Development Ltd. (CSSC), could provide approximately 3 billion kWh of clean energy to the grid annually. 

As a listed area in China's clean energy development strategy for wind power, Bailifengqu experiences fresh gales for over 200 days annually, with maximum wind speeds reaching up to 50.28 meters per second.

Li Shuai, deputy director of the wind farm operation office, told CGTN journalist Shen Shiwei that the clean energy provided to the grid is equivalent to saving around 900,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 2.8 million tonnes, nitrogen oxides by over 11,000 tonnes, and other harmful substances such as dust by over 12,900 tonnes.

By utilizing an intelligent management system, the energy storage project can automatically control charging and discharging depending on the needs of the grid. 

"The project will charge during low-demand periods and discharge when grid demand surges," Li added. The facility could hold 1.2 million kWh of electricity, which is equivalent to the daily usage of 800,000 families of three.

Technically speaking, wind power and solar power pose challenges to the safe and stable operation of the grid. Li explained that the wind-storage system could help address these challenges, promote the consumption of new energy, reduce wind and solar power curtailments, improve the efficiency of generating new energy, and maintain the stable operation of the grid.

Xinjiang currently possesses the world's highest voltage, longest transmission distance, largest transmission capacity, and most advanced technology in power transmission projects. In the first half of this year, Xinjiang saw a 103 percent increase year-over-year in installed new energy capacity.

With the development of wind-storage technology and photothermal power plants, along with the ±800 kV Hami south-Zhengzhou ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission line in operation and the ±800 kV Hami-Chongqing UHV direct current power transmission line under construction, Xinjiang is consolidating its leading position as the powerhouse of China's green transition.