China’s Three Gorges New Energy has started building the first 1 GW phase of solar-plus-storage capacity for a planned 16 GW mega-project in Inner Mongolia’s Kubuqi Desert. Upon completion, the massive installation will include 8 GW of solar, 4 GW of wind, and 4 GW of upgraded coal capacity.
Three Gorges New Energy has revealed that it has broken ground on a massive solar-plus-storage project in Inner Mongolia’s Kubuqi Desert. Upon completion of all construction phases, the installation will feature 8 GW of solar and 300 MW/600 MWh of storage, as well as 4 GW of wind and 4 GW of upgraded coal capacity, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.
Three Gorges is building the park in stages, in cooperation with Inner Mongolia’s Mengneng Group. The initial phase involves the construction of 1 GW of solar and corresponding storage capacity, Three Gorges said in a statement. It did not share any details about the expected completion project date.
“The Kubuqi base project is the world’s largest wind power photovoltaic base project developed and constructed in desert areas,” said the Chinese state-owned power producer, noting that it will invest CNY 80 billion ($11.5 billion).
The project is one of 22 energy installations that Three Gorges launched this week, with a combined planned capacity of 19.6 GW and a total investment of CNY 101 billion, according to a statement by the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
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