Ordos aims to build 'Great Wall of Photovoltaics'

People set up sand barriers in the Kubuqi Desert. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

A total of six ecological restoration projects and 20 wind and photovoltaic power projects were simultaneously launched in Ordos city on March 13, aiming to create a "Great Wall of Photovoltaics" in the Kubuqi Desert and Mu Us Sandy Land.

Liu Tianyun, deputy director of the Ordos forestry and grassland bureau, mentioned that the integration of ecological treatment and energy development has injected new vitality into desertification control efforts.

On March 29, hundreds of bulldozers were seen shuttling back and forth on the construction site of the Shuofang New Energy Mega Base in the heart of the Kubuqi Desert. Over the last four months, workers have used a leveling method to flatten the sand dunes.

A photovoltaic project in the Kubuqi Desert is completed and connected to the grid. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

The project has a total investment of approximately 11.5 billion yuan, and its planned photovoltaic installation capacity is 13GW. Additionally, it is only 5 kilometers away from the nearest Yellow River access point.

Li Jinyu, the on-site manager of the Shuofang new energy base project, stated, "The overall construction period of the project is about 3 years, divided into three phases and covering an area of approximately 487,000 mu. It is the single photovoltaic base with the largest capacity in the northwest."

"The project is expected to achieve a grid-connected capacity of 1GW by the end of this year. It will also act as a wind and sand barrier along the Yellow River," Li added.

The south edge of the Kubuqi Desert is under ecological treatment. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]