Against the backdrop of carbon peak, carbon neutrality, and the explosion of artificial intelligence, the Hexi Corridor relies on overwhelming scenic resources to focus on building large bases, channels, and consumption systems. A golden five-year or even ten-year curtain has been drawn, and the Hexi Corridor is facing unprecedented changes.

From the "Top Four" to the "Top Five", the Hexi Corridor urban agglomeration has been included for the first time

Recently, Gansu Province officially announced the "Proposal of the Communist Party of China Gansu Provincial Committee on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" passed at the 9th Plenary Session of the 14th Provincial Committee. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, Gansu Province will pay more attention to the development of quality and efficiency, as well as digital intelligence empowerment. It has been confirmed that it is still in the stage of insufficient development. Therefore, a "strong foundation" will be added on the basis of the original "Four Strong Actions", upgraded to the "Five Strong Actions", and the "strong county area" will be adjusted before the "strong provincial capital". This indicates that Gansu will prioritize the development of strong county areas, respect the laws of the times based on provincial conditions, tap the potential of county resources, expand the total industrial economy, prevent overdrawn capital for a strong province, reduce ineffective investment, and use investment wisely.

The planning proposal is included for the first time in the Hexi Corridor urban agglomeration, clarifying the functional positioning of the Hexi Corridor as an ecological barrier, energy base, computing power node, cultural and tourism highland, and strategic channel, becoming a strategic highland for the gathering of emerging industries in the province and an important engine for economic development.

The Hexi Corridor occupies all five functions, and its advantage as an energy base is overwhelming

The functional positioning of Gansu Province in the country is "ecological barrier, energy base, computing power node, cultural and tourism highland, and strategic channel", which are particularly vividly reflected in the Hexi Corridor. Zhangye and Wuwei play important roles in the ecological barrier; On the new energy base, Jiuquan, Wuwei, and even Zhangye are the core areas; Jinchang is an important node in the new materials industry; At the computing power node, Wuwei and even Jiuquan have laid out intelligent computing centers; On the highland of cultural tourism, Dunhuang, Wuwei, Zhangye, and Jiayuguan are important supports; On the strategic channel, the Hexi Corridor is a throat connecting the east and west.

In the construction of energy bases, Gansu focuses on establishing large bases, large channels, and large consumption systems. According to the survey data of wind and solar resources in Gansu Province, the exploitable wind energy technology in the Hexi Corridor accounts for 92% of the province's total, and the exploitable solar energy technology accounts for 97% of the province's total, with overwhelming advantages. By the end of the 15th Five Year Plan, the total installed capacity of new energy in Gansu will exceed 130 million kilowatts, equivalent to six Three Gorges power stations. The Hexi Corridor will become an important new energy and new energy equipment manufacturing base in China.

The rise of the Hexi Corridor urban agglomeration highlights the pivotal role of Wuwei

The planning proposal provides specific positioning for each city in Gansu, with extremely detailed wording. Jiuquan is positioned as a regional center city and has not been defined as the regional center city of the Hexi Corridor. This is in line with the reality that Wuwei has been the center city of the Hexi Corridor since ancient times. Regardless of population load and location advantages, Wuwei is the core of the Hexi Corridor; Tianshui is clearly defined as a modern central city in the southeastern region of Gansu, while Qingyang is a hub for the east, south, and west computing industries, enhancing the carrying capacity of the Qingyang East, South, and West Computing Industrial Park.

The planning proposal did not focus on the energy hub, but the hub nature of Wuwei in the Hexi Corridor has already been demonstrated. Jiuquan can also serve as another "dual hub" for Xinjiang's electricity to enter the mainland, but its hub nature is not as strong as Wuwei's. However, Longdongnan has not risen to the status of an urban agglomeration, probably due to the geographical barriers and their respective development. Geographically, they are relatively scattered, and Tianshui has barely become the central city of the Longdongnan Economic Belt. This is also a sign of respect for geographical transportation rather than simply shouting slogans.

Thorium based molten salt reactor project emphasizes for the first time that the Hexi Corridor welcomes a golden decade

The planning proposal emphasizes for the first time the construction of thorium based molten salt reactor projects in the future industrial sector. You should know that this is a project launched during the 13th Five Year Plan period, but it was not mentioned during the 14th Five Year Plan period. With the trend of artificial intelligence applications, the strategic value of thorium based molten salt reactors as a stable energy source in the future is reflected. The thorium based molten salt reactor adopts waterless cooling technology, which can form a multi energy complementary system with wind and photovoltaic power in arid areas, playing the role of a power grid stabilizer and providing new ideas for energy transformation in arid areas.

From the perspective of planning suggestions, the Hexi Corridor has been further upgraded from the previous "ecological barrier and strategic channel" to a strategic pivot of "energy base and cultural tourism highland". The Hexi Corridor highlights the economic strengthening of urban clusters, becoming a strategic highland for the gathering of emerging industries and an important engine for economic development in the province. Keywords: macro strategic planning, Hexi Corridor construction

The wind rises in Hexi, and under the east wind of new energy, a golden five or even ten years have begun, ushering in unprecedented changes in the Hexi Corridor. The Hexi Corridor is no longer just a geographical passage, but will leap to become a strategic hub and shining pearl on the symphonic Silk Road, with a magnificent picture of technology, ecology, and civilization intertwined.Editor/Yang Meiling