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China Datang Corp has placed into service a 500 MW solar facility in Zhongwei, Ningxia, calling it the nation’s first utility-scale green power installation purpose-built to feed a data center hub under a coordinated computing-electricity framework. The plant began commercial operations on May 2, after achieving full-capacity grid interconnection and initiating direct green electricity deliveries on February 5.
This solar farm is a component of Datang’s initial 2 GW development stage for the Zhongwei Cloud Base, which merges solar, wind, and storage technologies. The company has earmarked roughly CNY 8.7 billion ($1.27 billion) for this phase. The 500 MW photovoltaic unit is coupled with a 1.5 GW wind farm and energy storage systems. The wind segment is still being built and is slated to achieve full-capacity grid connection in September 2026. A subsequent phase is envisioned, which would enlarge the total project scope to 4.6 GW and push overall investment close to CNY 20 billion.
Datang and Chinese state media report that the initiative employs a two-track supply approach, blending physical direct delivery with bilateral power market transactions. Four dedicated 110 kV transmission lines channel green electricity straight to computing installations for new data center loads, circumventing the public grid. Supplementary demand is satisfied through bilateral market deals. Solar generation is emphasized during daylight hours, while wind output is anticipated to fill gaps when solar production wanes, backed by energy storage.
The newly operational 500 MW plant is forecast to produce roughly 970 GWh annually, meeting about half of the Zhongwei Cloud Base’s power needs. When the first phase is completely operational in September, yearly generation is projected to hit 4.3 TWh, which the company states is ample to cover the cloud base’s estimated yearly consumption of 2.29 TWh.
Zhongwei sits within one of China’s national computing hubs under the East Data, West Computing initiative, which seeks to relocate data center and AI tasks to western areas with richer renewable energy resources. The Datang project is thus seen as a practical trial of whether large-scale digital loads can be directly paired with desert-based wind and solar generation, shifting toward a physical infrastructure model featuring dedicated transmission lines, co-located renewables, and dispatch strategies tailored to computing needs. If this approach proves scalable, it could become a blueprint for lowering both the carbon footprint and operational expenses of China’s upcoming data center growth.
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