On the vast Gobi Desert, there stand giant power generation windmills with a height of over 200 meters. Each windmill can produce about 5000 kWh of electricity per hour, enough for 20 households to use for a month.
The photovoltaic panels are neatly spread out and extended into the distance, and there are also solar thermal towers standing tall on the Gobi Desert. From a distance, it seems like a sun is rising from the horizon.
In recent years, China and Arab countries have made significant progress in cooperation in renewable energy. At present, China has built the world’s largest and most complete new energy industry chain. China provides over 80% of photovoltaic modules and 70% of wind power equipment to the world. Under the promotion of the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” initiative, China’s experience and equipment have been implemented in the Arab region to help local countries make better use of clean and renewable energy.
In the depths of the desert in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the Eldafra Photovoltaic Power Station, constructed by a Chinese company, is currently the world’s largest single unit photovoltaic power station that has been built. The project will officially enter commercial operation in June 2023, with an average annual power generation capacity that can meet the electricity needs of 200000 households and reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons per year.
Chinese enterprises also actively participate in the construction of wind energy in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE wind power demonstration project, contracted by China Power Construction Group, has been successfully completed and put into operation since 2023. Its annual power generation can meet the electricity needs of more than 23000 households and reduce 120000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
South of Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, a large number of photovoltaic panels are being deployed in the desert. The Alshubach photovoltaic power station, constructed by Chinese enterprises, is expected to achieve a total emission reduction effect equivalent to planting 545 million new trees within 35 years, becoming an example of China’s plan to promote global energy green transformation cooperation.
In the North African region, projects such as the Kongombo Photovoltaic Power Station in Egypt and the Noo Photovoltaic Thermal Power Station in Morocco have witnessed the deep cooperation between China and Arab countries in renewable energy.
Words such as clean energy, sustainable development, and green transformation frequently appear in the development visions and strategies of Middle Eastern countries. The Middle East think tank Geopolitics Report Organization believes that participating in the construction of energy infrastructure projects in Gulf Cooperation Council countries has made China a key partner in the region’s energy transition.
According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, the installed capacity of renewable energy in the Middle East is less than 1% of the global total, with a relatively low base but one of the fastest-growing regions. Ruizide Energy Company predicts that in five years, 30% of the total electricity generation in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will come from renewable energy sources.
Since the beginning of this year, China and Gulf countries have further strengthened cooperation in the field of renewable energy. In addition to strong complementarity between market and technology, an open attitude is also one of the foundations of cooperation between China and Gulf countries.
Chinese partners are very open and candid in their technical exchanges with us, working together to promote the implementation of projects, “said Mohammed Abunaan, Chairman of Saudi International Power and Water Company, one of the world’s largest renewable energy and seawater desalination companies. China has achieved outstanding results in energy transformation, demonstrating a pragmatic style to the world. China has always actively participated in global cooperation and developed together with numerous countries.
In Abunyan’s view, China’s development in areas such as photovoltaics, wind energy, and electrification provides a realistic and feasible path for the global energy system. It not only promotes breakthroughs in new energy technologies, but more importantly, achieves universal access to new energy worldwide.
Today, more and more enterprises in China and Arab countries are carrying out in-depth cooperation, and a green picture of jointly building the “the Belt and Road” is slowly unfolding.