The 1-million-kilowatt photovoltaic and energy storage project in the mining area of Dalad Banner, Ordos, was successfully connected to the grid on Dec 31, 2024.

An aerial view of the project. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan news]

Located in the banner's Zhaojun and Engebei towns, the project covers an area of 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares) and received a total investment of 5.4 billion yuan ($739.8 million), with a construction scale of 1,000 megawatts and a DC-side installed capacity of 1,115.83 MWp. Two substations, one unmanned and the other manned, will be built.

The project obtained its construction land approval at the end of June. Following intensive preparatory work and rapid mobilization, construction on the step-up substation commenced in early July. By the end of November, the project was prepared for grid connection, and by Dec 29, it was ready for power reception.

After being fully connected to the grid, the project will generate an average of 1.89 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It is expected to annually reduce standard coal consumption by 570,800 metric tons, carbon dioxide emissions by 1.57 million tons, smoke dust by 41.65 tons, sulfur dioxide emissions by 191.2 tons, and nitrogen oxides by 287.75 tons.