The project is integrated into a larger 2GW first phase that combines solar, wind and storage, and uses dedicated transmission lines plus market trading to match renewable energy supply with data center demand.
China Datang Corp. has officially commissioned a 500 MW solar power plant in Zhongwei, Ningxia, describing it as the country’s first large-scale green power project designed to directly power a data center cluster under a coordinated ‘computing-electricity coordination’ model. The project formally went into operation on May 2, following the connection to the electricity grid at full capacity and the start of direct green energy supply on February 5.
The solar power plant is part of Datang’s broader 2GW first phase for the Zhongwei Cloud Base, with a total planned investment of approximately CNY8.7 billion ($1.27 billion). Phase one combines the 500 MW PV project with a 1.5 GW wind farm and energy storage. The wind component is still under construction and will be connected to the grid at full capacity in September 2026. A second phase is also planned, which would expand the total project size to 4.6 GW and bring total investments to almost CNY 20 billion.
What makes the project unusual is its implementation model. According to Datang and Chinese state media, it uses a two-track supply structure that combines physical direct supply with bilateral energy market trade. For new data center loads, four dedicated 110 kV transmission lines deliver green electricity directly to computing facilities, rather than routing it through the public grid. For additional demand, electricity is obtained through bilateral market transactions. In practice, solar energy is prioritized during the day, while wind energy is expected to meet demand when solar energy decreases, supported by energy storage.
The operational figures are also significant. The newly commissioned 500 MW PV plant is expected to generate approximately 970 GWh annually, covering approximately 50% of the Zhongwei Cloud Base’s electricity demand. Once phase one is fully operational in September, total annual generation is expected to reach 4.3 TWh, which is more than enough to meet the cloud base’s expected annual consumption of 2.29 TWh, the company said.
In addition to the project itself, Zhongwei is positioned within China’s national computing hubs under the ‘East Data, West Computing’ strategy, which aims to shift data center and AI workloads to Western regions with stronger renewable energy sources.
The Datang project is therefore seen as a real-world test of whether large-scale digital loads can be directly combined with wind and solar power generation in the desert, rather than relying primarily on conventional power grids. It moves “green electricity for data centers” from a certificate- or trade-based approach to a more physical infrastructure model, with dedicated transmission lines, co-located renewables, and distribution strategies tailored to computing demand.
If the model is replicable, it could serve as a template for reducing both the carbon intensity and operational costs of the future expansion of Chinese data centers.
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