Chasing sunlight across the barren sands, a new chapter unfolds in the Gobi. Recently, the first arrays of the Huaneng Jinghe 1,000 MW photovoltaic project, constructed by Sinohydro Bureau 10, were successfully connected to the grid, as a sprawling blue photovoltaic matrix begins to unleash green energy across the desert.

The Huaneng Jinghe 1,000 MW PV project is one of the first batch of market-oriented grid-connected new energy projects in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for 2024. Covering a total area of approximately 34,000 mu (about 2,267 hectares), the project has an installed capacity of 1,000 MW, supported by a 100 MW / 200 MWh energy storage system and a 220 kV step-up substation.

Since construction began, the project team has faced numerous challenges, including tight schedules, delayed material deliveries, and frequent extreme weather events. Located about 68 kilometers southwest of Jinghe County in the heart of the Gobi desert, the site endures summer surface temperatures approaching 60°C and winter lows dropping below -30°C, with high winds and sandstorms being a daily occurrence. Despite these harsh conditions, the entire team rose to the challenge, scientifically coordinating construction plans, working backward from the completion date with detailed measures, developing specialized insulation solutions for low-temperature operations, establishing a dynamic material tracking system, and rationally deploying personnel and machinery to minimize transition times between processes.

At the peak of construction, over a thousand workers labored on the front lines, with coordinated efforts across all operational zones to accelerate progress. The team successfully overcame numerous technical and management hurdles, including precision drilling for large-scale pile foundations and the coordinated scheduling of massive material supplies, ensuring the efficient and orderly advancement of the project.

Once fully operational, the project will deliver approximately 1.469 billion kWh of clean electricity annually, saving about 439,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.2437 million tons per year—a significant contribution to optimizing the regional energy structure and promoting green, low-carbon development.