A panoramic view of a solar panel field in Huichang, East China’s Jiangxi Province on Monday. Local government in recent years has developed several solar panel plus poverty alleviation projects, which have increased people’s incomes and provided more jobs. Photo: CNSphoto

The Al Dhafra Solar Project in United Arab Emirates (UAE), constructed by Chinese enterprises, has been fully completed recently, which will elevate the proportion of clean energy in the overall energy structure in UAE to over 13 percent. 

Rows of photovoltaic panels are forming an “energy oasis” in the desert of Abu Dhabi, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday.

The Al Dhafra Solar Project is currently the world’s largest single-unit photovoltaic power station and represents a significant cooperative project in green energy cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

Around 35 kilometers away from UAE’s capital city of Abu Dhabi, the solar project is expected to generate clean electricity for 200,000 residents and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions of up to 2.4 million tons each year, according to Wang.

China has been an active force in advancing global climate governance, not only possessing the world's largest clean energy generating networks but also making concerted efforts to provide support and assistance in this regard to other developing countries.

The country has rolled out the world’s largest power supply system and clean power generating system, in which hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic, biomass power generation and the scale of nuclear power under construction have consistently ranked the first in the world for many years, according to a report by the People’s Daily.

As of the end of June, cumulative installed capacity for power generation in China has reached 2.71 billion kilowatts. Within this, the installed capacity for renewable energy has reached 1.322 billion kilowatts, surpassing coal-fired power generation for the first time in history, the report said.

In addition to the newly built solar power station in the UAE, other examples of China’s commitment to green development include the Sachal wind power project in Pakistan, the NOOR III Concentrated Solar Power project in Morocco and other clean energy projects in Qatar and Kenya, Wang said.

These projects exemplify China’s dedication to green development, promoting green and low-carbon infrastructure construction and operation and strengthening international cooperation in climate change mitigation, he noted.

“The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference is about to kick off in Dubai, and we support the UAE in hosting a successful climate conference,” Wang said, noting that China will continue to advance the integration of the Green Silk Road construction with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in sight. 

China aims to deepen practical cooperation in areas such as green infrastructure and green energy, making a greater contribution to countries in achieving green and low-carbon development, he said.

Global Times