Over 400GW of desert and Gobi base preparation and planning underway: Central state-owned enterprises are the main battlefield for new energy investment

Since the issuance of Document No. 136, after half a year, Shandong Province launched the country's first mechanism-based electricity price bidding declaration. Some provinces are still soliciting opinions, while more provinces are still formulating related plans. The uncertainty of bidding rules and electricity prices has almost halted domestic new energy development and investment, with central state-owned enterprises showing a comprehensive contraction in investment.

 

Although conventional projects are "cooling down," large base projects represented by desert and Gobi areas have become the development focus of central state-owned enterprises, as seen in the second half of 2025 work meetings of major central enterprises. Accelerating the development of large bases has become a common key development direction. 。

 

Combining the recent "Photovoltaic Desertification Control Plan for the Three-North Desert and Gobi Regions (2025-2030)" which clearly plans for an additional 253GW of photovoltaic capacity, and the 170GW desert and Gobi base led by designated enterprises during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, The development and investment scale of desert and Gobi bases during the 15th Five-Year Plan is expected to exceed 400GW. 。

 

Over 400GW of large desert and Gobi bases.

 

At the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, national authorities planned nine major clean energy bases, with desert and Gobi bases being the top priority. According to official information from the National Energy Administration, multiple super new energy bases over 10GW were planned during the 14th Five-Year Plan. They are mainly distributed among eight major deserts, with a scale exceeding 160GW. 。

 

Photovoltaic experts have identified five major and six minor leading enterprises for the desert and Gobi large bases. The total wind and solar capacity is nearly 170GW, with photovoltaic capacity about 100GW and wind power about 70GW. 。

 

 

From the perspective of leading enterprises, Huadian has been approved for a relatively large scale, leading five desert and Gobi large bases with wind and solar capacity exceeding 60GW. Next are Three Gorges and National Energy Group, with wind and solar capacity over 24GW. Huaneng, Datang, and State Power Investment Corporation have also received approvals for desert and Gobi large bases exceeding 10GW.

 

It should be noted that only some desert and Gobi large bases over 10GW have started construction; most are pilot projects of 1-2GW, and many projects still await continuous development, planning, and investment.

 

Besides the existing desert and Gobi large bases pending construction and investment, according to the "Photovoltaic Desertification Control Plan for the Three-North Desert and Gobi Regions (2025-2030)," an additional 253GW of photovoltaic desertification control projects will be added during the 15th Five-Year Plan. Some information indicates this plan may include some existing projects, but insiders familiar with the document state that the scale mentioned refers entirely to new projects.

 

Additionally, according to personnel from the Hydropower and Water Resources Planning and Design Institute, China's resource endowment and energy demand determine that the scale of west-to-east and north-to-south power transmission still needs to be further expanded. Desert and Gobi bases are an important path to promote energy transition. It is expected that by 2030, the scale of west-to-east power transmission will reach 450 million kilowatts, an increase of about 150 million kilowatts compared to the 14th Five-Year Plan.

 

Combining the 2023 Inner Mongolia issued "Notice on the Implementation Plan for Photovoltaic Desertification Control Action" which plans for 21.4GW photovoltaic desertification control by 2025 and 89GW by 2030, Inner Mongolia still has over 60GW of photovoltaic desertification control projects during the 15th Five-Year Plan. 。

 

According to the above series of public information, about 170GW of approved and pending desert and Gobi bases remain to be built, the Three-North photovoltaic desertification control new scale is 253GW, desert and Gobi base new planning is about 150GW, and Inner Mongolia photovoltaic desertification control new is about 60GW. The total scale exceeding 600GW of desert and Gobi bases will form the main battlefield for new energy development and investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan. Even excluding possible overlapping projects, the clearly planned scale still exceeds 400GW.

 

The economic and ecological accounts of desert and Gobi bases.

 

Vast unused land, unique wind and solar resources combined with recognition of photovoltaic desertification control have made desert and Gobi bases the most suitable scenario for large-scale photovoltaic power station development and construction. Especially facing the expected electricity price decline brought by Document No. 136, central state-owned enterprise developers are becoming increasingly strict in cost control.

 

Desert and Gobi bases have advantages such as large single-unit scale, clear land nature, and strong support from competent authorities, resulting in overall development and construction costs far lower than conventional photovoltaic projects. 。

 

Regarding land, recent news from various provinces about levying two taxes on photovoltaic land based on total area is expected to raise land costs by about 0.2 yuan per watt. However, most desert and Gobi projects are on unused land such as sandy or Gobi areas, with almost no risk of the two taxes. Additionally, according to a central enterprise's desert and Gobi base project in Qinghai, land rental costs are only 100-200 yuan per mu, and competent authorities have intervened and prepared in advance, minimizing land use risks.

 

In the 253GW photovoltaic desertification control plan, the aforementioned insider stated that authorities even require controlling photovoltaic land area to above 4,000 mu per 100MW, ensuring land use while maximizing the ecological restoration effect of photovoltaic desertification control.

 

From the perspective of development, construction, and operation and maintenance costs, scale advantages spread out various costs. The lowest costs of domestic photovoltaic power stations almost all come from large base projects. For example, in EPC, according to bidding situations of some desert and Gobi bases during the 14th Five-Year Plan, EPC prices are generally around 1.7-1.8 yuan per watt. For instance, the 12GW wind and solar EPC bidding of Mengneng and the 1.1GW photovoltaic base in Ningguo both had winning bids around 1.7 yuan per watt, significantly lower than the conventional EPC price of about 2-2.5 yuan per watt.

 

It should be emphasized that while desert and Gobi bases have obvious advantages, their electricity price and power curtailment issues are relatively prominent. However, industry insiders believe that ultra-large-scale desert and Gobi bases all have "accompanying" ultra-high voltage transmission lines, and the inconsistency between power source and transmission channel construction progress has intensified power curtailment. With the acceleration of ultra-high voltage construction, the curtailment problem will be somewhat alleviated.

 

Regarding electricity prices, there are reports that desert and Gobi supporting outbound base projects may implement separate pricing policies. 。

 

Therefore, beyond the economic account, the ecological account will make it difficult for new energy projects to experience bid abandonment, idle quotas, or investment abandonment. According to multiple official reports from the State Council, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and others, desert and Gobi bases bear not only power supply security and economic power but also represent achievements in desertification control and diplomatic image.

 

From the current development and investment trends of central state-owned enterprises, the Shagehuang base has actually become a common consensus. For example, at the recent second half work meeting of the State Power Investment Corporation, companies such as Yellow River Company, Jidian Co., China Power, and Gansu Company all regard the Shagehuang large base as a key development and investment direction. Huaneng Group also clearly stated that it will continue to accelerate the development and construction of large bases in the second half of the year.

 

136 In the first year of the implementation of the directive, a series of uncertainties such as electricity prices, rules, and electricity volume caused new energy investment to almost enter a state of "complete silence," but Shagehuang, as a highland for new energy investment and development throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan, will be endowed with higher development prospects during the 15th Five-Year Plan due to multiple social responsibilities.

 

Meeting Notice In 2025, China's new energy development is ushering in a new stage. In the long term, deserts, gobi, and wasteland areas with vast land resources remain the main battleground for centralized wind and solar projects. The 2025 Shagehuang Photovoltaic Integration Development Forum will be held on August 22, 2025, in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. The meeting will discuss topics such as development policies for the Shagehuang new energy base, costs and economics, key technology discussions, and equipment selection, helping to smoothly achieve China's dual carbon goals and promote the coordinated development of new energy and ecology.

 

( Scan the QR code on the poster at the end of the text to view meeting details)