Tarim Oilfield's annual green electricity output tops 2 billion kWh

The Tarim Oilfield in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has generated over 2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar power this year, setting a new annual record, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) announced on Sunday.

According to CNPC, the Tarim oilfield, as a major source for China's west-to-east gas transmission project, also set a historic single-day high of over 10 million kWh in solar generation, marking a new integrated development pattern for oil, gas, and new energy in the heart of the Taklamakan Desert.

"Our annual solar power output has achieved leapfrog growth over the past three years, from 260 million kWh in 2023 to 1.34 billion kWh in 2024, and now exceeding 2 billion kWh this year. This marks a leap forward from scratch to a considerable scale," said Liang Yulei, manager of the new energy department of the Tarim Oilfield, CNPC.

Across oil and gas well sites deep in the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, 239 distributed solar projects have been installed, covering approximately 6,667 hectares of desert land -- an effort that aligns energy development with ecological protection.

To date, the Tarim oilfield has built five large-scale photovoltaic power stations in Yuli, Qiemo, Yecheng and Jiashi Counties, as well as Shangku high-tech industrial development zone, with a total installed capacity of 2.6 gigawatts (GW).

"By installing photovoltaic panels over shifting sands, we generate power above while lowering wind speed and creating shade below. Under the panels, we have laid drip irrigation belts for biological sand control, achieving multiple benefits at one go. Our total installed capacity is expected to exceed 4 GW next year," said Lei Ting, executive director of the new energy department of the Tarim Oilfield.

Construction is now fully underway on a new 100-megawatt solar project in Xinjiang’s Luntai County, on the northern brim of the Taklamakan Desert. Once operational, it will generate 158 million kWh of green electricity annually.

Of the green power generated in the desert, 8 percent will be used for local oil and gas production, while the remaining 92 percent will be transmitted outside Xinjiang, helping cut the oilfield's energy use and carbon emission intensity by over 10 percent, while also supplying green electricity to households across China.

Tarim Oilfield's annual green electricity output tops 2 billion kWh

Impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is pushing Gulf countries to revisit costly plans for pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can continue to export oil and gas, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

"Officials and industry executives say new pipelines may be the only way to reduce Gulf countries' enduring vulnerability to disruption in the strait, even though such projects would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete," said the report.

"Previous plans for pipelines across the region have repeatedly stalled, undone by high costs and complexity," it said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

Around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which also carries about one quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.

Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times

Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times