Xinjiang wind power plant

Xinjiang regional development plan will be introduced to the public after the end of the Central Government-Xinjiang Symposium in May this year, in a bid to boost the region's economy, Nur Berkri, chairman and vice secretary of the party committee of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), disclosed Thursday.
The plan will target "dominant industries" including the petroleum chemical industry, coal mining and processing sector, nonferrous metal industry and agriculture, he said.
Nur Berki added that large enterprises are encouraged to engage in coal mining, power generation and constructing power grids in Xinjiang to "realize fast-paced economic development."
So far, estimated coal reserves in Xinjiang make up more than 40 percent of the total reserves in China, with wind energy resources up to 40 percent, which make it possible for Xinjiang to become a large-scale power generation base.
"The proposal, which substantially supports development and utilization of mineral resources, will help transform Xinjiang's natural resource advantage to an industrial one," said Yuan Ze, chairman of the Xinjiang Nonferrous Industry Group.
The Xinjiang party chief also predicted that investment in fixed assets will "jump sharply" in the next three years due to investment from the central government as well as those from the State-controlled enterprises.