As the first large energy base in the Sago Desert that has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, the new energy base in the southeast of Tengger Desert relies on the ± 800 kilovolt UHV DC project from Nanjing to Hunan, with a planned total power supply scale of 13 million kilowatts, of which new energy installations account for 86.4%, supporting the construction of 4 million kilowatts of wind power, 9 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power, and the construction of 4.64 million kilowatts of clean and efficient coal power as peak shaving power, forming a pattern of wind, fire, storage, and multi energy complementary development.

Exceeding 20 million kilowatts

On June 29, 2025, the ± 800 kV HVDC project from Ningxia to Hunan, spanning 1616 kilometers, was officially put into operation. As the first transmission channel in the country that mainly transports new energy from Shagehuang, the project has exceeded 20 million kilowatts of external power transmission capacity in Ningxia after its operation, providing an important carrier for large-scale external transmission of new energy.

Full capacity production

As a leading project of the base, the Zhongwei 3 million kilowatt photovoltaic project will be constructed in three phases. The first phase of 1 million kilowatts will be connected to the grid in 2023, the second phase of 1 million kilowatts in the northern area will be put into operation in 2024, and the second phase of 1 million kilowatts in the southern area will be successfully connected to the grid in October 2025, marking the first batch of 3 million kilowatt photovoltaic projects to achieve full capacity production. The innovative implementation of the project includes on-board power generation, inter board planting, and under board restoration. The area of grass grid sand fixation has reached 88000 mu, and the vegetation coverage has increased from less than 0.5% to 20%, with some areas reaching 50%, achieving a win-win situation for desertification control and energy development.

Make a breakthrough

In terms of peak shaving coal-fired power, Unit 4 of Guoneng Ningxia Tengger Zhongwei Power Plant passed a 168 hour trial operation in January 2026, becoming the first batch of Shagehuang supporting peak shaving power sources to be put into operation in China. In terms of new energy storage, the largest Zhongheng Longtu energy storage power station in Ningxia has been built, with a scale of 295 MW/590 MWh. The 200 MW/400 MWh energy storage power station supporting the 2 million kW composite photovoltaic project in Ningdong base has also been put into operation, effectively improving the power grid regulation capacity.

The proportion of new energy installed capacity has exceeded 65%

According to the plan, Ningxia strives to achieve a total installed capacity of 110 million kilowatts of electricity by 2026, with the proportion of new energy installed capacity exceeding 65%, the scale of new energy storage doubling, and the construction of projects such as the Southern Grid 720 MW energy storage power station starting. In terms of power grid upgrading, 16 new 750 kV and 330 kV power grid projects will be built to improve the utilization rate of power transmission channels and green electricity rate.

The medium and long-term plan shows that by the end of the 15th Five Year Plan, the installed capacity of new energy in Ningxia will exceed 100 million kilowatts, accounting for 70%. At the same time, we actively promote key projects such as power transmission from the Maowusu Sandland Wind and Photovoltaic Base, rely on the advantages of green electricity to build a high standard Zhongwei Data Center cluster, promote the coordinated development of computing and electricity, and build a green hydrogen green ammonia green chemical industry chain. Keywords: Photovoltaic News Network, China's largest, West East Power Transmission

Ningxia is taking the construction of the Shage Wilderness Base as an opportunity to explore a new path of coordinated development between ecological governance and energy transformation through integrated development of wind, solar, thermal and storage systems and the construction of ultra-high voltage transmission channels, providing green momentum for the construction of ecological protection and high-quality development pilot zones in the Yellow River Basin.Editor/Gao Xue