China has connected one of the world’s largest solar power projects to its national grid, marking a significant step in its ambitious plan to reduce reliance on coal and lower emissions, Bloomberg reports.
The 4-gigawatt (GW) facility, situated on the southeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, went online on Wednesday, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV.
This single project dwarfs Canada’s current total solar capacity, according to BloombergNEF data, and represents a substantial portion of China’s broader goal to install 455 GW of renewable energy across its deserts this decade. This initiative is central to the government’s pledge to peak carbon emissions by 2030.
Despite record-breaking increases in solar capacity, China remains heavily reliant on coal, which supplied roughly 60% of the nation’s electricity last year. Coal mining reached an all-time high last month as the country prioritizes energy security, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that China’s coal consumption will continue to rise until 2027, reversing earlier predictions of peaked demand.
The massive solar project, known as the Ruoqiang PV project, is operated by China Green Electricity Investment of Tianjin and commenced construction in August 2023.
