China has connected the world's largest solar power plant to the grid in northwest Xinjiang. The plant covers an area of about 810 square kilometers and will produce 6.09 billion kWh per year.
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The power plant is located in the desert near the regional capital Urumqi and produces enough energy for the current level of consumption of the entire population of Papua New Guinea for an entire year. It could also be enough to power Luxembourg.
Xinjiang is sparsely populated and rich in solar and wind resources. This makes it an ideal location for massive renewable energy facilities that transmit most of their power over long distances to China's densely populated east coast.
Data released by China's National Energy Administration last year showed that solar power generation capacity in the country has grown by a staggering 55.2 percent in 2023. China generated more than 216 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy during the year.
According to the Global Energy Monitor, the two largest operating solar power plants were previously located in western China. Both have a capacity of 3 GW. China expects to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. To support these goals, the government has committed to building 1,200 GW of renewable capacity by 2030.