Clean energy is an important direction for future economic development and has enormous investment opportunities. On August 25, 2023, the largest new energy project installed in the clean energy base of the Yalong River Basin, the Zhala Mountain Photovoltaic Power Station, officially began construction. After the completion of this project, it will further optimize the power structure of the Sichuan power grid, help improve the power supply guarantee capacity of Sichuan, and inject new momentum into the construction of the Chengdu Chongqing dual city economic circle and the high-quality development of Sichuan's economy and society.

Aerial View of the Yalong River Zhala Mountain Photovoltaic Power Station Renderings

As the third largest hydropower base in China, the Yalong River Basin clean energy base, another million kilowatt photovoltaic power station during the 14th Five Year Plan period, and also a key project in the renewable energy development plan of Sichuan Province during the 14th Five Year Plan period. The Zhala Mountain Photovoltaic Power Station is located in Yanyuan County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, with an elevation range of 3200 to 4200 meters. The total investment exceeds 6 billion yuan, with an installed capacity of 1.17 million kilowatts and an average annual power generation of 2.15 billion kilowatt hours. It is planned to have full capacity grid connected power generation by 2025. After the completion of the power station, the annual electricity output can save about 650000 tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.8 million tons.

It is understood that the Yalong River Basin is not only an important energy base for ensuring power supply in Sichuan, but also a major energy base for the national strategy of transmitting electricity from west to east. At present, nearly 21 million kilowatts of hydropower and new energy installations have been put into operation in the Yalong River Basin, 3.72 million kilowatts of hydropower projects under construction, and 2.628 million kilowatts of new energy and pumped storage projects under construction. After the completion of the clean energy demonstration base in the Yalong River Basin, the total scale exceeds 100 million kilowatts, with an annual power generation of about 300 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to an annual reduction of about 250 million tons of carbon dioxide and a reduction of over 90 million tons of standard coal consumption. The carbon reduction benefits of green electricity are particularly outstanding. We will play a positive role in accelerating China's construction of a new type of power system, building a modern energy system that is "clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient", and achieving the "dual carbon" goals. Editor/Zhao E