Baicheng to widen new energy plans to achieve green transition

Baicheng, a pioneering hub for clean energy in Northeast China's Jilin province, is intensifying efforts to develop solar and wind resources alongside energy storage stations, aiming to leverage national opportunities created by the implementation of the "dual carbon" strategy, according to a senior government official.

As the country's only comprehensive demonstration zone for local wind power integration, focusing on the local consumption and efficient use of wind energy, Baicheng is dedicated to accelerating the development of a national-level clean energy base. It also aims to foster new productive forces through the complementary integration of wind, solar, thermal and storage energy, said Li Hongci, the city's Party secretary.

Accelerating breakthroughs in new energy technologies, long-term energy storage and low-cost green hydrogen, ammonia and ethanol will help promote the deep integration of energy and digital technologies, Li said.

As the region with the most potential for wind and solar energy development in Northeast China, Baicheng has been focusing on the entire new energy industry chain, including equipment for wind power, photovoltaics, and hydrogen energy production, to accelerate the localization of new energy equipment and foster industrial clustering.

The region also aims to build a complete industrial chain for hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and consumption, emphasizing hydrogen energy equipment and fuel cells. It has been expanding the use of green hydrogen and ammonia, which is crucial for reducing carbon emissions significantly while ensuring domestic energy security.

Industry experts note that China, as the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen and ammonia, holds strategic importance in advancing sustainable green hydrogen, ethanol and ammonia development.

Wu Mouyuan, vice-president of the China National Petroleum Corp Economics and Technology Research Institute, highlighted hydrogen's potential as a zero-carbon energy solution for decarbonizing challenging sectors such as heavy industry, aviation and long-haul transportation.

Li said Baicheng has been collaborating with numerous State-owned energy enterprises, including the State Power Investment Corporation and Shanghai Electric, to ensure the production of the province's first batch of green ammonia and the country's first large-scale green alcohol by next year.

With approximately 50 million kilowatts of wind and solar energy resources available for development — accounting for two-thirds of Jilin province's total — Baicheng has been vigorously coordinating the large-scale development of new energy projects. The city is advancing 26 key projects with a total installed capacity of 14.28 million kilowatts, which is expected to exceed 16 million kilowatts by year-end, Li said.

The government is committed to pushing forward a power transmission project to transfer green energy-generated electricity from Jilin to Beijing. Plans include constructing two 660,000-kilowatt coal-fired supply guarantee units and two 500 kV substations, enabling the development of 3 million kilowatts of wind and solar resources annually, Li added.

This initiative aligns with the government's efforts to establish a national unified power market by 2029, which aims to further integrate renewable energy sources and optimize power distribution across the national grid.

To build a fully integrated new energy equipment industry cluster across the value chain, Baicheng has attracted 28 wind power equipment manufacturers, including Envision Group, Dongfang Electric Corp and Sany Heavy Industry, which produce 10 core technology products. This has led to the establishment of a localized, complete supply chain ranging from whole machines to key components. Notably, SANY's independently developed onshore wind turbines have set a new industry benchmark, Li said.

"We will accelerate the production of key components to address existing gaps while driving the equipment manufacturing industry toward higher-end, smarter and more clustered development," he added.