Standing on the vast Gobi desert at Jiuquan, Gansu Province, are about 400 giant wind turbines. Together they compose a spectacular matrix that attracts lots of tourists, making a new hot spot along the ancient Silk Road.

The matrix is still being expanded at this natural "wind reservoir" in the country's far west.

By 2015, Jiuquan will become the first wind power base in China with 28 wind farms and a combined installed capacity of 12gw. In the long run, the base will be expanded to having a capacity of 35.65gw, according to Wang Jianxin, director of the development and reform commission of Jiuquan.

"We hope to accomplish a Three Gorges Project on land," Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency when the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic regulator, approved the construction plan in May.

Tucked between Qilian and Helan mountains, Jiuquan was once a crucial military outpost on the Silk Road in ancient times. For hundreds of years, the harsh environment of the strong winds and the vast expanse of the Gobi desert challenged travelers. But in the recent years, they have become resources for a burgeoning green energy industry.

According to the latest assessment by meteorological departments, the wind energy reserve in Jiuquan is placed at 150gw, of which 40gw is exploitable for an area covering nearly 10,000 sq km.

The dry climate and the flat topography provide an ideal environment for developing wind power industry.

Jiuquan started to tap wind resources in 1996. But it was not until the recent several years, when China began to encourage investment in the sustainable energy sector, that Jiuquan saw a real boom of the wind power industry.

By the end of 2007, five large-scale wind farms were constructed in the area, and the capacity of installed wind turbines reached 410mw in Jiuquan, accounting for 6.8 percent of the country's total. Now, about 800 million kwh of wind power electricity is generated annually.

The wind power base plan is about to stir a new round of investment, as the budget for the massive development is estimated at 120 billion yuan (US$17.47 billion), says Liu Shengping, deputy director of the energy affairs office of the development and reform commission of Jiuquan.

Last month, organized by the NDRC, the first phase of the 12-gw Jiuquan wind power base finished bids for the equipment provision with a total capacity of 3.8gw, according to the National Energy Administration, with most bid winners being domestic manufacturers.

Sinovel Wind Co and Xinjiang Goldwind, China's two largest wind turbine manufacturers, are among the winning manufacturers with wind turbine orders of 1.79gw and 0.81gw respectively.

Dongfang Steam Turbine Co, a subsidiary of Dongfang Electric Corp, received a 7.3-billion-yuan order of 1.15gw wind turbines, the largest of its kind the company has won. The successful bid is of great importance to the Hanwang based company, which lost at least 1.6 billion yuan in the earthquake that jolted Sichuan Province in May.

Experts say that the bidding for wind turbine manufacturers has boosted the rapid development of the wind power industry, as it improves the manufacturing abilities of wind turbines in China.

"When Jiuquan first started to build large scale wind farms, the insufficient supply of wind turbines was a big headache," says Wang, from development and reform commission of Jiuquan.

As recently as late 2007, China's wind power equipment providers were incapable of producing megawatt-class wind turbines, but now leading manufacturers, such as Sinovel, Xinjiang Goldwind and Dongfang Steam Turbine, are able to manufacture wind turbines with a capacity of 1.5mw.