Two large solar power plants will be built in the plateau provinces of Qinghai and Yunnan this year, with expectations that China will be able to cut domestic reliance on coal and oil.

The Qinghai project, a gigawatt-level solar station, will begin the first-phase construction this year. The plant was funded by an initial investment of 1 billion yuan (US$146 million). It could become the world's largest when completed, according to the developers.

(Shanghai Daily January 12, 2009)