☀️ Big news! As of 28 December 2025, PetroChina’s Tarim Oilfield in the Xinjiang region has generated over 2 billion kWh of solar power this year—enough to meet the annual electricity needs of more than 1.8 million people and cut 1.07 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Nestled in the Taklimakan Desert, Tarim Oilfield is China’s third-largest onshore oil and gas base and a major node in the west-to-east gas transmission project. In 2025, it rolled out five centralized solar farms totaling 2.6 GW of capacity, plus 239 distributed setups at production sites adding 63 MW.
According to Liang Yulei, head of Tarim’s new energy department, roughly 8% of that sunshine power runs on-site operations, while the other 92% feeds into the wider grid—powering homes from Beijing to Bangalore and trimming the oilfield’s own energy use.
Why it matters 🌍 For young pros from Mumbai to Manila, Tarim’s solar breakthrough shows how even big fossil fuel players can supercharge the clean energy transition. This is a real-life look at tech-driven sustainability in action.
Looking ahead 🚀 With more solar projects on the horizon and booming regional energy demand, Tarim Oilfield is set to raise its green output even further in 2026.
Reference(s):
China's Tarim Oilfield records solar generation of over 2 billion kWh
cgtn.com
