China-Eurasia 2012: Hami City, the green desert
- By Elsbeth van Paridon
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 9, 2012
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A farmer harvests Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe in Xinjiang,at Nanhu Township in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.[File photo] |
Located in the far northeast of China's Xinjiang Province, lies the city of Hami, also known as home of the original hamigua or honey melon. In addition to being a big exporter of over 100 types of honey melons, Hami used to be one of the most important stops on the northern route of the old Silk Road and was considered the gateway to eastern China.
The melons still form the area's number one export product, yet over the past decade, Hami has added several important green accomplishments to its resume, namely in the clean energy sector, including wind and solar power. Hami has become a frontrunner in the development of China's green technology and its progress has earned the city a spot on the top places-to-watch list of the China-Eurasia Expo 2012, which opened on September 2.
Numerous melon fields stretch out in front of the eyes against the backdrop of the desert and the snowy mountain peaks found in its hinterland. Yet Zhang Wenquan, Party Secretary of Hami City, particularly emphasized his city's role as "a modern passageway, or tongdao, along which, due to the city's geographical location in the desert, its natural capacities- namely the many hours of sun and the strong winds that blow through the wide plains- provide excellent support for the development of the most sophisticated green technology, which in turn forms an attractive opportunity for investment for both national as well as international companies." The combination of these factors will certainly play an important role in the construction of a modern and environmentally friendly Silk Road.
One example of such green development is the Hami Dananhu power plant, a coal-fired electricity integration project. The plant boasts a total installed capacity of 20 million kilowatts and employs 500 workers, who all live onsite. The plant's supervisor Feng Xiaoming stated that "though the plant is currently part of the large-scale Xinjiang Power Delivery Project, it will in the foreseeable future be able to send electricity to the whole of China." Another prime example of Hami County's clean energy development is the launch of several major solar power projects, located in the middle of the vast deserts surrounding Hami City.
One example of such an undertaking is the Hami Phase I solar power project under the supervision of the Datang Xinjiang Power Generation Company. All of its solar panels sport the latest in fiber optics to ensure an even higher level of efficiency. Still under construction, the project is set to be completed within the next few months and will go on to produce enough electricity for Xinjiang province and, later on, for export to the rest of China. These types of green power projects have already attracted great interest from countries throughout the Eurasian region that are eager to get on board with Hami's promising green plans.
"Its melon export and green technology developments have boosted Hami City's economy, attracted worldwide attention and additionally reduced our unemployment rate to 0 per cent. Everybody benefits; it's a win-win situation [a reference to the China-Eurasia Expo 2012 theme]," Part Secretary Zhang concluded. It looks like Hami City is now set to reprise its role of Silk Road gatekeeper in a modern green setting.
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