China's Xinjiang launches key power project to supply electricity to Chongqing

A major milestone was reached on Thursday in China's regional power transmission strategy as two power units at a new energy base in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region officially began operation.

The project will help ease electricity pressure in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality during peak summer demand.

Located on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the energy base is part of the "Xinjiang-to-Chongqing" power transmission project. Developed by China Huadian Corporation and China Resources Group, the base integrates multiple energy sources -- wind, solar, thermal, and storage -- to ensure stable long-distance power delivery.

Once fully completed by the end of 2025, the base will have a total installed capacity of 14.2 million kilowatts, with over 70 percent coming from clean energy sources including wind, solar, and solar thermal.

Each year, the site is expected to send more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Chongqing, equivalent to a quarter of the city's annual power consumption, or the electricity needs of 10 million households.

In environmental terms, this means avoiding about 6 million tons of coal use and cutting roughly 16 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The electricity is transmitted via ultra-high-voltage (UHV) lines, a key feature of China's national grid strategy to balance regional energy resources and demand.

An Oriental darter, a globally near-threatened species, has been spotted for the first time in Hainan, south China's island province, according to the provincial bird records agency.

At Changjiang Haiwei National Wetland Park, a relatively large Oriental darter was recently spotted atop a tree canopy. The bird has a brown head and neck, with a distinctive white stripe running from its chin down the neck. The rest of its feather appeared in darker shades.

The Oriental darter, a cormorant-like waterbird with a long neck, is primarily a fish hunter found in freshwater lakes and rivers. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, it's now extremely rare in China.