A photovoltaic laboratory in Shuangliu county. Photos provided to China Daily

Several years ago, few people expected that a small county in Southwest China could be a leader in the new energy industry among all counties in the country.

But Shuangliu county in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu takes only three years to become one of the new-energy industry hubs in China.

A recent example of the amazing growth is a 3-billion-yuan silicon-based thin film solar cell project near the Muhua Road in Shuangliu, becoming operational on June 15, with an annual capacity of 300 megawatts.

Construction on the project began only one year ago, a speed and efficiency giving enough confidence to the investor - Hanergy Group - for further expansion.

The group's management promised "Shuangliu will receive all of Hanergy's expanded capacity on the Chinese mainland in the next few years".

Hanergy is the largest private-owned clean energy company in China.

And the area near the Muhua Road - the site of the project - was a land mostly covered by hills three years ago.

But today, the area becomes a prosperous industry zone gathering such domestically renowned new-energy companies as Xushuang, Zhonghaiyang, Xinguang Silicon and Tianwei.

A total of 36 big projects, with total investment of 73.6 billion yuan, have been established or constructed in this 12.9-sq-km land called the Western Airport Economic Development Zone - because of its proximity to the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

Strategic plan

According to Gao Zhijian, Party chief of the county, what makes the change happen is a strategic plan proposed by the local authorities at the beginning of 2009.

Following the global financial crisis in 2008, the central government released a package of plans to drive domestic growth, including enhancing investment in some emerging industries like new energies.

That was also the time when companies in China's eastern coasts shifted their production facilities to the nation's central and western regions.

"In face of all these opportunities, we have to make a choice," Gao said.

"If we make Shuangliu just a destination to received all the outdated industries from the east, we can never catch up."

Therefore, Gao said, the local authorities planned to develop the new energy industry by mobilizing all the advantageous resources in Shuangliu.

Shuangliu has rich silicon reserves necessary for the industry's development and has four decades of history in R&D in the field.

In addition, the county is home to the Shuangliu International Airport and boasts a complete land transport network of highways and expressways.

Gao said the new energy plan was proposed by the county's Party committee conference in January 2009 and endorsed by the government later.

A pioneer

For the business community, the pioneer was the Tianwei Group, which made its investment even before the plan was initiated.

It invested 5.4 billion yuan in May 2007 to launch the first phase of the Tianwei New Energy Park.

The park became operational on June 26, 2009, with annual production of silicon films that can be used for solar cells with total capacity of 200 megawatts.

And two years later, the park's second phase was completed on July 26 this year, adding a capacity of 500 megawatts equivalent of polycrystalline silicon films.

Gao Zhengfei, general manager of Tianwei New Energy Park, said: "We are planning to investment another 8 billion yuan in the third phase. Upon its completion, the park is expected to have 20 billion yuan of sales revenue."

The other solar energy giants there also have plans to increase their investment.

The Hanergy Group expects its solar cell project in Shuangliu to add its capacity from the present 300 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts in a few years, bringing total sales revenue of 8.8 billion yuan and creating 3,000 job opportunities for the locals.

Last year, the new energy enterprises in the county reported a total sales revenue of 13.8 billion yuan, compared to 1.1 billion yuan in 2008 and 5.3 billion yuan in 2009. The figure is expected to reach 20 billion yuan this year, according to Shuangliu Party chief Gao Zhijian.

Gao also said the new energy industry is not only confined to the solar sector, but also includes a full industry chain ranging from solar energy, nuclear energy and wind power to production of parts and components.

Last year, the Western Airport Economic Zone was recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission as a "State-level high-tech new energy base".

The county now ranks the first place among China's top 100 counties in terms of new energy industry development, according to a report by the annual meeting for China's new energy industry development held in January.

Since the beginning of this year, the county has signed agreements on 32 big projects with renowned new energy companies at home and abroad, with total investment of 72.3 billion yuan.

Upon completion, these projects are expected to generate a total sales revenue of 100 billion yuan annually.

Business representatives and local officials at the launch ceremony of the Hanergy project.

(China Daily 09/24/2011 page16)