Clearing Industrial Bottlenecks: Qamdo Presses Ahead with Clean‑Energy Development on the Tibetan Plateau

According to China Economic Net, Qamdo in Xizang is pressing forward with the construction of three gigawatt‑scale clean‑energy bases situated along the upper reaches of the Jinsha and Lancang rivers, together with the South‑East Xizang (Yu‑Cha) site, alongside the East Xizang Clean‑Energy Development Zone, as its clean‑energy sector gathers momentum.

Endowed with abundant hydro, wind and solar resources, Qamdo boasts a technically exploitable clean‑energy capacity in excess of 400 GW. The aggregate scale of key planned projects tops 150 GW. Investment earmarked for clean‑energy development across the 15th Five‑Year Plan period is forecast to hit RMB 3000 billion. The sector will act as a core driver for local growth, extending, supplementing and strengthening upstream and downstream industrial chains covering clean‑energy equipment manufacturing, building materials and related sectors, and enabling integrated development under the “clean‑energy plus N‑sector” framework.

Local authorities have this year held dedicated sessions to chart progress for the clean‑energy industry. Twenty targeted measures have been rolled out across six dimensions: shaping a new framework for rational development, lifting energy security capacity, fostering innovation and technical application, reinforcing industrial chains, rolling out the “clean‑energy plus” initiative, and bolstering supporting services, to remove bottlenecks hindering industrial advancement. Administrative frameworks have also been refined, including a co‑ordination mechanism for clean‑energy construction and supporting service guidelines, to speed up large‑scale roll‑out for new‑energy installations. The total installed capacity of completed and ongoing clean‑energy power projects in Qamdo has now risen to 21.63 GW.

By 2035, Qamdo aims to build an operational clean‑energy installed capacity of 123 GW, capable of generating 2400 billion kWh annually. It will evolve into a critical gateway and distribution hub for power transmitted out of Xizang, with the full establishment of the national‑level East Xizang Clean‑Energy Base.

Major industrial groups have been introduced to establish modern clean‑energy equipment‑manufacturing operations on the high‑altitude plateau. Local energy enterprises are also expanding their footprint. Energy‑generation firms make up 41 per cent of Qamdo’s 22 industrial enterprises above designated size.

Further investment in manufacturing and supporting services will continue to anchor resource advantages in tangible industrial output. New power‑generation hardware and associated industrial capacity will underpin larger‑scale cross‑regional power transmission, while broadening local economic returns derived from the region’s rich renewable‑energy reserves.