Ningxia sharpens its edge in new energy

The Ningxia Hui autonomous region will speed up the establishment of a new-type energy system and a new electric power system, while bolstering the clustered development of industries with local characteristics and distinctive advantages, as part of its broader push to achieve high-quality growth, the region's top official said.

Li Yifei, Party secretary of Ningxia and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said the region is ratcheting up resources to develop a modern coal chemical industry, new materials, clean energy, digital information, agriculture, culture and tourism.

It is also stepping up efforts to promote the exploitation and utilization of new energy, in order to drive industrial upgrading, cut carbon emissions and reduce pollution, he added.

As China's first demonstration zone for new energy comprehensive construction, Ningxia is a major green power supplier with abundant green energy resources. It is taking tangible steps to advance the green and low-carbon transition of the traditional energy industry.

Li said the installed capacity of new energy in Ningxia reached 41.32 million kilowatts in 2024, accounting for more than 50 percent of the region's total installed power capacity.

The region is at the forefront of the country's transformation to clean and efficient utilization of coal resources, with its modern coal chemical industry making it to the list of national advanced manufacturing clusters.

Ningxia's GDP grew 5.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, ranking sixth in the country and exceeding the national average for 10 consecutive quarters, according to the region's bureau of statistics. The regional GDP reached 550.3 billion yuan ($76 billion) last year.

Last year, Ningxia ranked third in the country in terms of industrial output. The region's industrial output increased 9.6 percent year-on-year, 3.8 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of the country's overall industrial economy.

Li said Ningxia is pressing ahead with new urbanization and rural vitalization to promote the common prosperity of both urban and rural areas, adding that it has promoted new industrialization to drive the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries.

According to the official, the number of new types of agricultural business entities has reached 22,000 in the region, while the output of the agricultural product-processing sector surpassed 100 billion yuan last year.

Ningxia is also vigorously developing its rural tourism sector. The region's rural areas received 13.56 million visits last year, with revenue reaching 1.25 billion yuan.

Li said the region will continue to expand opening-up, improve business environment, facilitate growth of the private sector, and actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, which will inject fresh impetus and vitality into its high-quality development.

Ningxia is also striving to build data center clusters, network infrastructure and integrated computing power systems to boost the development of its digital economy, as well as promote the digital transformation of industries and the industrialization of digital technologies.

A group of tech companies from home and abroad have built data centers in Ningxia to offer cloud computing services, thanks to the region's abundant energy resources and cooler climate.

Located in the Yellow River basin, Ningxia is surrounded by deserts on three sides and faces the daunting task of conserving and restoring ecosystems. Li said the region is pushing environmental protection and ecological restoration projects, including soil and water conservation and the control of desertification.