China's first renewables mega-base in the desert goes fully online

A power plant supporting China's first desert renewables mega base is now fully online.

Unit No.6 at the Zhongwei Power Plant in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region successfully completed a 168-hour trial run on Friday.

The milestone brings all four 660-megawatt units into operation. The plant provides support during peak electricity demand for the Ningxia Tengger Desert renewables base and the ±800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) line to Hunan.

The Tengger Desert base is the first project of its kind approved by both the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration. It combines 13 million kilowatts of renewables – 4 million wind, 9 million solar – with 4.64 million kilowatts of coal-fired capacity to balance the grid.

The Zhongwei plant will provide stable back-up for the green power flowing out of the base. It smooths the gaps when wind and solar fall short by flexing its thermal output. 

The four units are designed to generate 11.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and support the transmission of 22 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy. They are expected to replace about 7.1 million tonnes of standard coal and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18.46 million tonnes.

The plant reuses 100% of urban reclaimed water, draws no production water from the Yellow River, and keeps pollutant emissions well below national standards.