Rising with the Wind: Jiuquan’s Industrial Economy Experiences Positive Growth and Transformation

Soaring with the Wind, Marching Towards the Sun – Observations on the Positive Development of Jiuquan’s Industrial Economy

In recent years, Jiuquan City has actively seized the opportunities presented by the “dual carbon” initiative, aiming to establish a “world-class clean energy valley with a capacity of one billion kilowatts.” By strengthening key industries, enhancing supply chains, and fostering clusters, the city has witnessed remarkable growth in renewable energy generation and equipment manufacturing, providing significant support for its economic development.

In the first quarter, Jiuquan achieved a regional GDP of 22.89 billion yuan, reflecting a growth rate of 9.2%. The added value of its secondary industry, represented by the renewable energy sector, reached 10.13 billion yuan, growing by 13.6%, marking a strong start to the year.

On April 26, during the “Strengthening Confidence, Observing Development” concentrated interview event on the province’s economy for 2025, reporters visited Jiuquan to witness its impressive advancements in renewable energy.

Limitless Wind and Solar Energy

In the Gobi Desert of Jinta County, a 247-meter solar thermal tower reaches for the sky. Surrounding the tower is an area of 767,800 square meters, which houses 25,594 heliostats. Every 3 to 6 seconds, these heliostats automatically adjust their angles to accurately reflect sunlight onto the tower. Nearby, a series of blue photovoltaic panels stretch for kilometers, undulating like waves.

This is the world’s largest “solar thermal + photovoltaic” power generation base, the Jinta Zhongguang Solar Energy “solar thermal + photovoltaic” pilot project, with a total investment of 4.2 billion yuan and a total installed capacity of 700,000 kilowatts.

According to Wu Xiangyang, a project management staff member, the 600,000-kilowatt photovoltaic project officially connected to the grid in April 2023, while the 100,000-kilowatt solar thermal project is scheduled to begin operations in May.

“The primary function of the thermal tower is to heat cold molten salt to high temperatures, converting solar energy into thermal energy. At night, this thermal energy is used for power generation, and as the molten salt cools, it is reheated during the day, creating a continuous cycle,” Wu explained. This system effectively compensates for the shortfall in photovoltaic power generation during nighttime or cloudy periods, playing a crucial role in peak shaving.

Once fully operational, this project is expected to generate an average annual electricity output of 1.37 billion kilowatt-hours, saving approximately 481,600 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.31 million tons, demonstrating significant economic and energy-saving benefits.

Establishing the Jinta Zhongguang Solar Energy “solar thermal + photovoltaic” pilot project reflects Jiuquan’s efforts to capitalize on the “dual carbon” goals and the policy opportunities for developing the “Hexi Corridor Clean Energy Base,” fully utilizing its wind and solar advantages to create a significant national renewable energy hub.

Jiuquan is one of the regions in China with the richest wind and solar resources. The city’s exploitable wind energy capacity is approximately 100 million kilowatts, accounting for one-seventh of the national total, while its solar thermal resources can reach about 1 billion kilowatts, categorizing it as a top-tier area for solar thermal resource distribution in the country.

Data shows that in 2024, Jiuquan will have completed 25 renewable energy projects, with an additional 6.18 million kilowatts connected to the grid and 303 megawatt-hours of energy storage added, bringing the total installed capacity of renewable energy to 33.51 million kilowatts, accounting for 53% of the province’s total and establishing it as the largest solar thermal demonstration area among prefecture-level cities in the country.

Building Clusters

The thriving renewable energy sector is transforming Jiuquan’s resource and geographical advantages into economic and ecological benefits. By focusing on “wind, solar, hydro, thermal, and nuclear” energy, Jiuquan is vigorously promoting the integrated development of its advantageous resources and equipment manufacturing industries.

Jiuquan Zhengtai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Zhengtai New Energy Development Co., Ltd., invested 300 million yuan in 2021 to build a project with an annual output of 1 gigawatt of high-efficiency crystalline silicon modules. In October 2023, the company completed the construction of a new project in the Jiuquan Economic Development Zone, which will produce 2 gigawatts of high-efficiency silicon cells annually.

Inside the automated battery production workshop of Jiuquan Zhengtai New Energy, 107 unmanned intelligent carts scuttle back and forth. Silicon wafers undergo 12 processes, including texturing and oxidation, transforming into photovoltaic cells. “These photovoltaic cells are the core components of photovoltaic modules, achieving a light-to-electricity conversion rate of 26%,” explained Tuo Mingcong, a process engineer in the workshop.

Not far from Jiuquan Zhengtai New Energy is a project for a high-end equipment manufacturing base in Northwest China, invested by China First Heavy Industries Group Co., Ltd., with an investment of 1.5 billion yuan.

“The first phase of the project will commence production in 2024, while the second phase is currently in the planning stage. Once fully operational, it will have the capacity to produce 97,000 tons of large wind turbine castings annually,” said Xu Fushan, deputy director of the production and manufacturing department of the project.

With the completion of the first phase, the project now boasts an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons for hubs and bases. When the second phase is completed, it is expected to achieve an annual output value of 1.6 billion yuan.

“Though this equipment may seem bulky, it incorporates advanced technology. It’s designed for blade installation and requires strong fatigue resistance, with precision reaching 0.03 millimeters, which is one-third the width of a human hair,” Xu added, pointing to a hub with a diameter of 4 meters and a weight of 22.5 tons.

In Jiuquan, there are numerous renewable energy equipment manufacturing companies like Zhengtai and First Heavy Industries, contributing to the emergence of a robust industrial cluster in renewable energy and its equipment manufacturing. To date, the city has attracted 29 listed companies in the renewable energy equipment manufacturing sector and 74 large-scale enterprises, with Jiuquan-produced wind turbines and photovoltaic modules widely supplied both domestically and internationally.

Supporting Enterprises

With wind power equipment forming clusters, photovoltaic equipment creating chains, solar thermal power expanding its reach, hydrogen energy undergoing transformation, and smart grids diversifying, Jiuquan’s industry is accelerating its progress towards greener, innovative, and intelligent development.

But what makes numerous enterprises choose Jiuquan as their preferred location beyond just the “wind and solar” advantages?

Tian Xueyin, manager of the comprehensive management department at Jiuquan Nandu Power Supply Co., Ltd., believes that Jiuquan’s excellent business environment is paramount.

Jiuquan Nandu Power Supply is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Nandu Power Supply Co., Ltd. In August 2023, Jiuquan Nandu Power Supply invested 2 billion yuan to construct a project in the Jiuquan Economic Development Zone for an annual output of 4 gigawatt-hours of lithium iron phosphate energy storage battery cells, battery packs, and system integration products.

“Typically, construction would take over a year or two, but we were surprised that it was completed and operational in just 8 months here,” Tian described the rapid progress of the project as “Jiuquan speed.”

The term “Jiuquan speed” exemplifies the city’s firm commitment to the principle that “serving enterprises is serving development.”

In recent years, Jiuquan has prioritized optimizing its business environment as a key initiative to promote high-quality economic and social development, effectively using an improved business environment to boost economic growth.

For instance, Jiuquan has implemented “extremely simplified approval” reforms for project procedures, reducing the number of processing steps by 31; administrative approval items have been streamlined to 189, reducing by 22.2%; and the processing time for administrative approval has been cut from 993 days to 180 days, achieving a reduction of 81.9%.

Not only is project advancement expedited, but substantial support is also provided to enterprises.

Tian revealed that in 2024, the company received 2 million yuan in subsidies for technological innovation, and high-level talents introduced by the enterprise received local talent subsidies.

“I heard that Jiuquan Vocational and Technical University has also added new programs related to energy storage, which will greatly alleviate the current shortage of technical personnel in the energy storage industry,” Tian noted.