Xianning to be new energy base in Central China
By Rong Xiandong (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-05-09 15:26

Xianning, a new and developing city in Central China's Hubei Province, aims to become the province's second-largest energy city, other than Yichang City, and a new energy base in Central China in the 11th and 12th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2015).

The energy sector has become an important pillar for Xianning, whose installed power capacity and annual electricity generated totaled 709,025 kilowatts (KW) and 3.25 billion kW/h respectively by the beginning of 2005.

The city now has eight power plants of at least 6,000 KW each, including three hydropower stations, four thermal power plants, and one wind power plant.

In the next 10 years, Xianning will focus on the following six areas to work towards achieving its goal of energy development.

First, Xianning is planning to build two pump-storage power stations in its Tongshan County. The two plants, located at Jiugongshan (Jiugong Mountain) and Chengshan (Cheng Mountain) respectively, are expected to have a total installed capacity of 2.52 million KW and total investments of seven billion yuan (US$845.77 million).

Second, for thermal power plants, great attention will be paid to expanding the No 2 generator set of Jianeng Thermal Power Co in Jiayu County and a power station owned by Chenming Paper Co in Chibi, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Xianning City.

The second-phase project of the Puqi Thermal Power Plant will also be a priority, with 8.12 billion yuan (US$980.85 million) of investment expected to be pumped into two new 900-MW generator sets during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) to bring the plant's total installed capacity up to 2.4 million KW and annual electricity generated to 15.8 billion kW/h.

Third, upon completion, the Jiugongshan Wind Power Plant, with a total designed installed capacity of 156,000 KW, will become the first of its kind in Hubei Province.

The plant's first-stage project, with an installed capacity of 13,200 KW and a total investment of 120 million yuan, is now under construction and is expected to go into operation by the end of this year.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), construction of the whole plant will be completed to have an annual electricity generation of 1.03 billion kW/h.

Fourth, Xianning plans to build nine 2,000-KW (or higher level) hydroelectric projects in the 2005-2007 period, with the newly installed capacity estimated to reach 134,000 KW in the 10 years between 2006-2015.

Fifth, based on the one billion tons of stone-like coal it has discovered, Xianning is scheduled to invest about 200 million yuan into building a power plant for the coal in its Chongyang County before 2015. The facility's installed capacity is expected to be at least 12,000 KW and will annually consume 400,000 tons of stone-like coal.

Later, the city will consider constructing two more such plants in its Xian'an District and Tongcheng County.

Sixth, Xianning abounds in straw, a new environmentally friendly energy source greatly promoted by China to increase farmer's income and protect the environment.

Using its 4.65 millions tons of straw, Xianning plans to set up a power station equipped with two 12,000-KW generator sets at the conjunction of Xian'an District, Chongyang County, and Tongshan County and where transportation facilities are developed.

The plant, with an estimated investment of 168 million yuan, is projected to use more than 200,000 tons of straw, generate electricity of 120 million kW/h, and reap sales profit of 54 million yuan, on an annual basis.

Xianning will work towards achieving the goal in 2006-2010 and plans to have one or two more such plants in the period of between 2011 and 2015.

By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, with all of the above-mentioned plants put into operation, Xianning will have an installed power capacity of 8.7 million KW and an annual electricity generation of 48.13 billion kW/h, 12.05 and 14.84 times the level in 2005 respectively.

This means that Xianning will emerge as a new energy base in Central China.

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