Desert corps lays foundation for progress in Xinjiang

Seven pillars

Over the past 70 years, the scale of industrial production of the XPCC has expanded from initial domination by manual workshops to modern mechanized production.

Xinjiang focuses on seven major industries — green chemical production, cotton and textile apparel, new materials, new energy, equipment manufacturing, distinctive services, agricultural products, and deep processing.

In the vast Gobi Desert stand rows of tall wind turbines with huge rotating blades that belong to the Datang Santanghu Wind Farm in Xinxing city. In the wind farm's control center, electricity generation numbers can be seen constantly fluctuating on a large screen.

Jiang Na, who helps maintain operations, said the total installed capacity of the wind farm, with 250 wind turbines, is as high as 450,000 kilowatts.

The wind farm has an annual planned electricity generation of 930 million kilowatt-hours, with an expected annual addition of 440 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 475,000 metric tons.

At the Huyanghe Economic and Technological Development Zone of Huyanghe city, the phase 1 production line for high-purity crystalline silicon, with an annual output of 50,000 tons, was put into operation in 2023.

"To build a modern factory in the desert, we feel proud," said Sun Chengliang, chairman of Xinjiang Jingnuo New Energy Industry Development, adding that the total amount of investment has reached 10 billion yuan.

In Shihezi, the "aviation town "has gathered a group of top enterprises and vocational colleges.

"In 2023, the Xinjiang aviation industry achieved its best-ever levels in terms of annual flight hours, operating revenue and operational efficiency," said Chen Bing, chairman of Xinjiang General Aviation Co.

Today, from aerial spreading of fertilizers and pesticides to aerial photography and surveying, emergency rescue operations, flight training, aircraft maintenance, and drone manufacturing, the XPCC's low-altitude economy is gaining momentum.

The added value of secondary industries involved in manufacturing and construction reached 140.224 billion yuan last year, an increase of 77.924 billion yuan compared with 2013, data from local authorities showed.