The Taklamakan Desert turns into a power plant: Tarim oilfield delivers over 1.1 billion kWh of clean energy since the start of the year
2.6 million kW of installed capacity, another 1.8 million kW in new projects — all in the sands, at China’s third-largest onshore oil and gas field.
As reported by CCTV+, the Tarim oilfield in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China has produced more than 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity since the beginning of this year. This clean energy was generated by harnessing sunlight in the Taklamakan Desert region.
To date, five centralized photovoltaic power stations have been built at the oilfield in the Qiemo and Yecheng areas, with a total installed capacity of 2.6 million kilowatts. New solar projects with a capacity of 1.8 million kilowatts are also scheduled for completion at the oilfield this year.
Located in the Taklamakan Desert, the Tarim oilfield is China’s third-largest onshore oil and gas field, the country’s largest ultra‑deep oil and gas production base, and a major gas source for China’s west‑to‑east gas transmission project.
The Tarim Basin is one of China’s sunniest regions, with over 2,500 sunshine hours per year. Combining vast hydrocarbon reserves with immense solar potential allows the desert to become a hub of green energy, reducing the carbon footprint of oil extraction.
Oil once drove humanity to drill deep into the earth in search of ancient sunlight trapped in rock layers. Today, we are returning to the living sun — right above our heads. When solar panel fields rise in the heart of the eternal sands, and billions of kilowatt-hours are born not from underground reserves but from light itself, the desert ceases to be just a place of deposits. It becomes a bridge between the past of energy and its future.
