Gansu (Jiuquan) wind power base

The Gansu Wind Farm, also called the Jiuquan Wind Power Base, is a huge group of wind farms in the desert of western Gansu province, China, near the city of Jiuquan. Wind-rich land on the edge of the Gobi Desert makes it a good place for turbines.

It is one of six national wind-power megaprojects approved by the Chinese government, and its capacity grew to about 10 gigawatts (10,000 megawatts). Its first phase alone had over 3,500 turbines. Wind farms such as this one are a big part of China's plan to produce clean electricity. The project is built in deserts where land is plentiful and winds are strong.

How big is it?

The project is divided into phases. The first, 3,800 megawatts, was made of eighteen farms of 200 megawatts and two of 100. By 2010 about 5,160 megawatts were installed, and a second phase planned another 8,000.

More than 20 developers built the farms across two areas in Guazhou County and near Yumen City, and the whole plan aimed at 20 gigawatts, costing an estimated 120 billion yuan. Power was bought at 0.54 yuan per kilowatt-hour in 2012, compared with 0.3 yuan for coal-fired electricity.

Challenges

Wind is not steady, and the power grid has limits. For several years the farms ran at low use because the lines could not carry all the electricity, and a 750-kilovolt line was built to help.

By 2020, the farms were using about 95 per cent of their capacity, and approval was given to finish the latest phase of building. A control system started in 2012 now adjusts the output of the 18 farms to fit what the grid can carry.

On the globe

Find it on the globe in the desert of Gansu province, China and zoom in to open its card.