A 5.5 GW solar and desertification-control program in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, has received implementation approval from regional energy and forestry authorities. Subsidiaries of CGN, Huaneng’s Northern United Power, PowerChina and China Huadian will develop the projects, which combine 5.5 GW of solar capacity with the restoration of 220,000 mu (about 14,667 hectares) of desertified land in the Ulan Buh and Tengger deserts. Construction and land restoration are scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. Local authorities held a project coordination meeting on Sept. 30 to advance implementation. The program forms part of China’s broader push to combine utility-scale solar development with ecological restoration in its arid northern and northwestern regions. Under a national PV desertification-control plan for 2025-30, China aims to deploy 253 GW of solar and rehabilitate about 673,670 hectares of desertified land by 2030. The approach typically combines PV arrays with sand-fixing vegetation and other land-restoration measures, with module shading helping to reduce evaporation and create conditions more favorable to vegetation growth. Inner Mongolia has emerged as a major testing ground for the model. In April 2025, Inner Mongolia Energy Group commissioned a 1.6 GW solar plant in the Ulan Buh Desert, where sand-fixing plants are being cultivated beneath the module rows to combat desertification and soil erosion. Similar projects are under development in the Kubuqi Desert, including the planned 100 GW “Great Solar Wall” and a 16 GW energy complex led by China Three Gorges. CECEP Solar has also announced a 500 MW desertification-control PV project in Dalad Banner, Inner Mongolia.
China Datang announced on Sept. 30 the shortlisted bidders for module procurement for the northern and southern sections of its 500 MW Nam Mo solar project in Laos. Longi and Risen Energy were the first-ranked candidates for the northern and southern sections, respectively, both with average bids of CNY 0.786/W ($0.116/W). The project will have 500 MW of rated capacity and 630.37 MW of installed capacity across 158 PV arrays. The northern section will use 287.28 MW of back-contact (BC) modules, while the southern section will deploy 343.09 MW of heterojunction (HJT) or tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules.
PowerChina announced on Sept. 26 the shortlisted bidders in its first centralized module procurement round for 2026, covering 4 GW of n-type TOPCon products. Jolywood, Yingli Energy and Astronergy were the first-ranked candidates for the tender’s three lots, respectively. Bids ranged from CNY 804 million to CNY 1.028 billion ($118 million to $151 million), equivalent to CNY 0.670/W to CNY 0.702/W ($0.099/W to $0.103/W). The weighted average bid from the three first-ranked candidates was about CNY 0.679/W ($0.100/W).
Huaneng Lancang River Guxue (Mangkang) Hydropower Co. was established on Sept. 21 in Mangkang county, Chamdo, Tibet, with registered capital of CNY 5.6 billion ($824 million). Huaneng Lancang River Upstream Hydropower Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Huaneng Hydropower, subscribed CNY 4.984 billion for an 89% stake, while CATL subscribed CNY 616 million for the remaining 11%. The joint venture’s business scope includes hydropower generation and technical services for solar, wind and energy storage.
Suzhou YourBest New-type Materials said on Sept. 25 that it had terminated a convertible bond-funded project to build 20,000 metric tons of annual PV ribbon production capacity at its Anhui subsidiary and would redirect the remaining proceeds to working capital. The company had planned to invest CNY 356.73 million ($52.5 million) of raised funds in the project. As of Sept. 15, it had invested CNY 182.85 million, or 51.26% of the planned amount. YourBest attributed the decision to a temporary supply-demand imbalance in the solar supply chain, pressure on PV ribbon profitability and sufficient capacity at its existing facilities to meet market demand.
Universal Energy held a grid-connection ceremony on Sept. 16 for its 100 MW Gobustan solar project in Baku, Azerbaijan. The China-based company said the plant, located in the Garadagh district, comprises about 200,000 solar panels and a 110 kV substation. It is expected to generate about 200 GWh of electricity per year, saving around 45 million cubic meters of natural gas and avoiding approximately 97,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.
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