Inner Mongolia acts as green power bank

The Inner Mongolia autonomous region, a vast territory in northern China with immense renewable energy potential, is powering the nation's green transition and setting an example for the world.

Wang Lixia, chairwoman of Inner Mongolia, said in a recent interview that the region's "experience has shown that developing renewable energy doesn't have to come at the cost of the environment. Instead, it can drive ecological restoration".

"Meanwhile, desertification control is not just an environmental imperative; it can also fuel high-quality development," she added.

According to a report released in March by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the capacity of global renewable power increased substantially last year, with the addition of 585 gigawatts, a record growth of 15.1 percent. China played a significant role in this growth, accounting for nearly 64 percent of the added capacity, the report said.

Wang noted that Inner Mongolia, with its abundant wind and solar resources, plays a crucial role in China's green transition. The region has an exploitable wind energy capacity of 1.46 billion kilowatts, accounting for 57 percent of the national total, and a solar energy potential of 9.4 billion kW, which is 21 percent of the national total, she said.

"This wealth of wind and solar resources gives us confidence, and opens up endless possibilities for the growth of Inner Mongolia's renewable energy industry," she said.

Last year, Inner Mongolia led the nation in six key areas, including new renewable energy installations, green hydrogen production, new energy storage installations and green electricity trading volume. This makes Inner Mongolia a green power bank for northern China, Wang said. "Of every 100,000 kW of newly installed renewable power capacity nationwide, over 10,000 kW is generated in Inner Mongolia," she said.

"Our total installed renewable power capacity has surpassed 135 million kW, exceeding that of coal-fired power. We are the first provincial-level region in China to surpass 100 million kW of renewable power capacity," she added.

Last year, Inner Mongolia's renewable energy output increased 27.6 percent, exceeding 210 billion kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to twice the annual output of the Three Gorges Dam.

Renewable energy contributes 25 percent of the region's total electrical power generation. "It is equivalent to saving 66 million metric tons of standard coal, enough to meet Inner Mongolia's heating needs for three years, while reducing carbon emissions by 180 million tons annually," Wang said.

As the autonomous region pushes its renewable energy development, it is also exploring ways to utilize its renewable power resources and expand its electrical equipment manufacturing industry.

"We are advancing our green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol industries, converting green electricity into green products," Wang said. "We have also established the nation's largest computing power base with nearly 80 percent of the energy sourced from renewables."

These efforts helped Inner Mongolia reach a renewable energy utilization rate of 94 percent last year, with green electricity accounting for nearly one-third of the total consumption.

The economic impact has also been impressive. In 2024, the total added value of renewable energy and related industries in Inner Mongolia grew 20.1 percent year-on-year, with new energy equipment manufacturing up more than 40 percent, Wang noted.

At the same time, exports of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar panels soared 45.3 percent to 4.18 billion yuan ($573 million), according to customs data.

While the region is ramping up efforts for the manufacturing and export of new energy equipment, its ecological restoration efforts, particularly in the Kubuqi Desert, have gained global recognition.

Once known as the "Sea of Death", the desert has become a model for integrating ecological restoration with new energy development. In 2014, the United Nations Environment Programme designated the desert as an ecological economy demonstration zone.

The Kubuqi model integrates solar power generation with agriculture and animal husbandry, as photovoltaic panels are used to provide canopies that help enhance plant survival and support the growth of drought-resistant crops, Wang said.

This approach tackles desertification, advances renewable energy development and helps increase local people's income, achieving multiple benefits simultaneously, she said.

The area, which until 2017 remained largely barren, was covered by an array of solar panels by the end of last year. In December, the NASA Earth Observatory released satellite images showing what has been dubbed as Kubuqi's "Solar Great Wall".

"Stretching 400 kilometers, with an average width of 5 km, the project, once completed, will help restore vegetation on about 200,000 hectares of the desert and generate 180 billion kWh of electricity annually, serving as both a 'blue energy wall' and a green ecological barrier," Wang said.