This aerial photo taken on November 4, 2023 shows a major gas and oil processing station in the Fuman oilfield in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Fuman oilfield, China's largest ultra-deep oilfield, located in the Tarim Basin, boasts more than 1 billion tonnes of oil and gas resources, which are mainly detected underground at 7,500 meters to 10,000 meters deep. Photo: Xinhua

The Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where the Tarim oil and gas fields are located, has achieved an annual photovoltaic power generation exceeding 2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), with daily peak generation surpassing 10 million kWh,the China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Sunday, quoting latest data from PetroChina.

It marks the formation of coordinated energy development of oil, gas, and clean renewable energy in the heart of Taklimakan Desert. Within the Tarimbasin, five large-scale solar power stations have been built, with an accumulative installed generation capacity of 2.6 gigawatts. 

Also, a 100-megawatt photovoltaic project in Xinjiang’s Luntai County, located on the northern edge of Taklimakan Desert, has recently commenced full construction. Upon completion, it will generate 158 million kWh of green electricity annually.It is expected thatby the end of 2026, the installed solar generating capacity there will exceed 4 gigawatts.

A total of 8 percent of the green electricity generated in Taklimakanis used for oil and gas production, while 92 percent is transmitted outward through electricity transmission lines in Xinjiang, which reduces the energy consumption and carbon emission intensity there by more than 10 percent.

The photovoltaic power generationin the TarimOilfield has achieved “three leaps in three years” — from 260 million kWh in 2023 to 1.34 billion kWh in 2024, and reaching 2 billion kWh this year, Liang Yulei,a manager at PetroChina’sTarim Oilfield, was quoted as saying in the news report.

In the heart of the Taklimakan Desert, TarimOilfield has built 239 distributed solar projects at individual oil and gas wells and field stations. These completed photovoltaic projects cover 100,000 mu (6,667 hectares) of yellow sand, achieving coordinated advancementof green energy development and ecological protection, the report said. 

“By constructing solar panels on shifting sands, we not only generate electricity through the installed panels but also reduce wind speeds, create shaded areas, and lay drip irrigation belts beneath them benefiting sand control,” Lei Ting, an executive director at PetroChina’sTarim Oilfield, said. 

Global Times