Ebola death toll tops 5,000 in DR Congo

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) had surpassed 5,000 as of Thursday, the latest figures released Saturday by Congolese health authorities showed.

With 5,026 deaths reported among 10,351 confirmed cases, the overall case fatality rate stands at 48.6 percent, according to the latest update from the National Institute for Biomedical Research.

The ongoing outbreak, declared on May 15 and caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, has become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the DR Congo and the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.

China's largest ultra-high-altitude wind power project has been successfully connected to the power grid in Nagqu City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, as wind power deployment accelerates on the plateau alongside photovoltaics.

The high-altitude plateau brings strong winds, but the thin air makes it difficult to convert them into electricity. Moreover, the harsh and remote conditions present an added challenge to power storage, which is essential due to the intermittent nature of wind generation.

Developed by the China Energy Investment Corporation's Xizang Company, the Jicuo Wind Farm has met both of these challenges head on. In terms of storage, the project has successfully integrated a record-setting 100 megawatts of storage capacity.

The 18 wind turbines, standing at altitudes between 4,850 and 5,127 meters, were specially tailored for the ultra-high-altitude thin-air environment, with their rotor diameter enlarged to 200 meters -- noticeably larger than flatland models of the same capacity, so that the expanded swept area can capture as much wind energy as possible under low air density and capture even light winds.

That lets the wind farm take full advantage of the wind-rich area, where the average annual wind speed reaches 7.51 meters per second, and the maximum speed sees 42 meters per second.

Their power generation and control systems have also been optimized for greater operational stability under gusty and turbulent conditions.

"After the project is put into operation, it is expected to deliver about 211 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity, save about 72,000 tonnes of standard coal, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 196,000 tonnes annually. It is of great significance for enhancing the power supply capacity and stability of the Nagqu regional grid," said Hu Jiansheng, manager of Jicuo wind power project under Xizang branch of China Energy Investment Corporation.

The integrated project is expected to improve the power supply capacity and stability of the regional grid, ensure that farmers and herdsmen in Nagqu stay warm through the winter, and promote rural revitalization and economic and social development.