Though most parts of Ordos were under the spell of Spring Festival by Feb 11, waves of machines could be heard booming at the Shuofang New Energy Base, deep within the Kubuqi Desert in the city's Hanggin Banner.

At the construction site of the first phase of Inner Mongolia Energy Group's integrated wind and photovoltaic project, over 200 workers in uniforms and helmets were sparing no effort as 260 large bulldozers shuttled back and forth.

Bulldozers shuttle back and forth at the construction site. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan News]

"Now we are leveling the ground. About 8,500 mu (566.67 hectares) of the project's 20,000 mu land has been leveled, and the rest is expected to be completed by the end of February," said Wang Ruifeng, deputy chief of the contractor company's engineering department.

With a designed capacity of 1.1 million kilowatts, the project is expected to be connected to the grid on Sept 30. Its 800MWp photovoltaic module can generate 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing standard coal consumption by about 480,000 metric tons.

Its wind farm, composed of 30 wind turbines with a capacity of 10,000 kW, can generate 900 million kWh of electricity per year and reduce standard coal consumption by about 260,000 tons.

The resumed construction is a solid step towards green development for Hanggin Banner and a strong driving force for its initiatives to secure energy supply and achieve dual carbon goals. The project can help boost the coordinated development of its upstream and downstream industries and create many jobs, benefiting residents.