Project repurposes land degraded by abandoned mining operations for clean power generation
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), one of the world's leading solar panel manufacturers, known as "Yingli Solar," today announced that it has begun construction of a 50 megawatt (MW) solar power plant on former mining lands in in Huangshi City, Hubei Province, China. It is the first project developed by Yingli on land that has been degraded by mining activities.
The 50 MW power plant occupies over 100 hectares of land in western Huangshi City, a region known for its rich mineral resources and extensive mining operations. The project will contain about 170,000 YGE 72 Cell Series multicrystalline solar panels that are expected to generate approximately 55,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity annually, which will offset the consumption of nearly 22,000 tons of coal and the emission of over 50,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere. The system is scheduled to interconnect with the local utility grid and begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Huangshi City was designated a pilot city for the reclamation of abandoned mining lands and former industrial sites by China's Ministry of Land and Resources in January 2013. Therefore, the power plant will serve as a key demonstration project for the integration of solar power into land revitalization programs across China. To help showcase the unique value solar power brings to land reclamation efforts, Yingli also plans to develop an educational visitor's center near the project site.
"This highly replicable project shows how solar power can be integrated into ecological restoration programs, stimulating the local economy and providing clean power to the community while simultaneously aiding in land revitalization," commented Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "We're pleased that our first project on degraded mining lands will deliver concrete economic and environmental benefits to the surrounding community."
