China's first renewable energy power base in the country's Gobi Desert and other arid regions was connected to the grid and started generating power on Tuesday, said its operator China Energy Investment Corp, or China Energy.

The first phase of the solar and wind project located at Tengger Desert in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, with an installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, is expected to generate 1.8 billion kilowatt hours each year, equivalent to the power demand of 1.5 million households, said the company.

As China plans to speed up the construction of solar and wind power generation facilities in the Gobi Desert and other arid regions amid efforts to boost renewable power, the government launched the first phase of wind and solar power projects at the end of 2021, comprising a total of 100 gigawatts of wind and solar power capacity in desert areas that cover 19 provinces.

The project, with a total investment of more than 85 billion yuan ($12.28 billion) and a total installed capacity of 13 million kilowatts, is the first that was constructed and put into operation, said China Energy.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn