During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China Green Development Investment Group Co., Ltd., (CGDG) has taken "promoting green development and building a beautiful China" as its mission and has achieved leapfrog development through continuous efforts in "going green, pursuing innovation and striving for beauty."
CGDG’s installed capacity of new energy has increased nearly tenfold. It has obtained 29 certifications related to zero carbon, net-zero carbon and carbon neutrality, while all of its under-construction and newly built projects have been granted green certification. CGDG has founded seven technology companies, deploying a number of new technologies and industries such as liquid air energy storage and grid-friendly integration of self-synchronizing voltage sources. With an international perspective, CGDG has promoted the upgrading of cultural tourism and the hotel industry while operating 47 hotels, integrating lucid waters and lush mountains into beautiful vacation experiences for the customers.
Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets
In the vast desert of the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China, a 247-meter solar tower stands tall, with 25,594 heliostats tracking the sun and photovoltaic panel arrays absorbing sunlight to convert solar energy into surging electrical energy. The solar thermal project at Jinta multi-energy complementary base developed by CGDG integrates 100,000 kilowatts of solar thermal and 600,000 kilowatts of photovoltaic energy. The base is expected to supply an average of 1.45 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, saving approximately 480,000 tons of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.36 million tons each year.
The solar thermal project at Jinta multi-energy complementary base developed by CGDG [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
CGDG’s 4,000-Megawatt photovoltaic project in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the largest single-unit photovoltaic project in the country's sandy, rocky and desert areas. A total of 2.6 million photovoltaic pile foundations have been laid in an orderly manner on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, with 130,000 sets of photovoltaic supports arranged neatly. The towering photovoltaic panels not only transmit a large amount of clean electricity every year, but also act as a "green barrier," which effectively blocks wind and sand erosion, reduces water evaporation and contributes to desert ecological restoration.
Phase I of CGDG's mega new energy base project in Xinjiang won the certification as a "net-zero carbon park." After being put into operation, it generates 23.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 19.13 million tons. Meanwhile, it has created more than 60,000 jobs for local people, generating booming ecological, economic and social benefits at the same time.
Technological Innovation as Core Element for Developing New Productive Forces
Over the past five years, CGDG has taken technological innovation as its core driving force. Based on its own advantages and industrial characteristics, it has put in place a number of new technologies and industries such as liquid air energy storage and grid-friendly integration of self-synchronizing voltage sources, striving to foster a new engine for green and low-carbon development.
On November 30, CGDG’s 200,000-kilowatt/800,000-kilowatt-hour energy storage power station project in Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was successfully connected to the grid. The Wuhai energy storage power station is the largest grid-side independent new-type energy storage project using semi-solid lithium batteries in China, and also the first large-scale energy storage project adopting semi-solid lithium iron phosphate battery technology in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Covering an area of about 100 mu (66,650 square meters), the project has 160 energy storage battery containers and 40 integrated converter-booster containers. It can store surplus electric energy during periods of low grid load and supply power to the grid during peak consumption hours, playing an important role in new energy consumption, power supply guarantee, and emergency dispatching. It is expected to deliver 189 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity to the grid annually.
In Haixi Mongol and the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, CGDG is accelerating the construction of a national-level demonstration project. It is the country’s first 60-megawatt/600-megawatt-hour liquid air energy storage project. The project adopts liquid air energy storage technology, which converts electrical energy into low-temperature, normal-pressure liquid air for storage. It has solved technical problems such as air storage and constant-pressure release, and features advantages including large-scale and long-duration energy storage, cleanliness and low carbon emissions, great safety, long service life, and freedom from geographical constraints. Upon completion and commissioning, it will become the world’s leading demonstration project in the liquid air energy storage sector, top the world in terms of both power generation capacity and energy storage scale, and fill the gap in large-scale and long-duration energy storage technologies.
Building a Beautiful Home for Harmonious Coexistence Between Humans and Nature
Generating electricity on panels and herding sheep beneath them, the CGDG project site serves as both a photovoltaic base and a pasture. The 4,000-megawatt wind-solar hybrid project developed by CGDG in Nilka County, Xinjiang, promotes green and low-carbon development through the complementary model of pasture husbandry and solar power industry.
In the CGDG Qiandao Lake Beautiful China Resort in Hangzhou City, East China’s Zhejiang Province, "Race Around the Lake 160"—the first independent event brand created by CGDG has sparked an endless rhythmic wave of sports. Running along the most beautiful Asian Games race track, people feel like entering a lively landscape painting.
Transforming a barren wasteland into a lush green area, the Elite City developed by CGDG in Jinan City, Shandong Province, has created an ecological oasis for 130,000 residents. Facilitated by 13 municipal roads with a total length of 18 kilometers, a road network with five horizontal and seven vertical arteries has been built for the community. Dozens of bus routes have been opened, connecting community roads with each other. Three mountain scenic areas and nine green parks have been developed, along with 30 kilometers of fitness trails.
Focusing on the people's aspiration for a better life, CGDG puts the concept of green and low-carbon development into practice with concrete actions and devotes itself to low-carbon city construction. It has launched three batches of ten major "dual-carbon" demonstration projects for three consecutive years, and made remarkable achievements in the cultural tourism sector. The brand of Beautiful China Resort has been recognized as an outstanding flagship by the Chinese Central SOEs’ Initiative: Lead with Brand. With operations at Changbai Mountain, Qiandao Lake, Wen'an in Hebei Province, the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area and other places, the brand is now operating 47 hotels.
Green development is the original aspiration and fundamental attribute of CGDG. Looking forward to the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the group will enhance the layout of green industries, strengthen the driving force of scientific and technological innovation, and contribute more strength to the great career of comprehensively promoting the green transformation of economic and social development and building a beautiful China.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
