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

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."

Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.

Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.

Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.

Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.

He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.

The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.

Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.

Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves