A wind power project on Mianchuan Island, east China's Jiangxi Province, has completed full-capacity grid connection, utilizing large-scale renewable energy for power supply and marking the official operation of the first "zero-carbon island" in the Yangtze River Basin, the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) announced on Tuesday.

The wind power project now connected to the grid is the core project of Mianchuan township's "zero-carbon island" initiative. Thousands of builders worked for a year and a half to construct 18 wind turbines and a supporting energy storage system on the island, which is under the administration of Jiangxi's Jiujiang City. Combined with the previously established photovoltaic project, the island now boasts a self-sufficient clean energy supply system, making it the first "zero-carbon island" in the Yangtze River Basin to achieve large-scale renewable energy power supply.
The initiative is expected to provide clean energy for local residents of Mianchuan township and neighboring areas, contributing to the green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
"After the project is put into operation, the annual electricity generation will reach more than 240 million kWh, which is equivalent to saving 96,000 tons of standard coal per year and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 240,000 tons. At the same time, it will completely solve the problem of single-source power supply in the isolated island of Mianchuan," said Feng Cheng, deputy manager of the nuclear power and new energy department of the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Jiangxi branch.
Following the commissioning of the "zero-carbon island," energy for production and daily life of the 32,000 residents of the Mianchuan Island can be self-sufficient, and large amounts of green electricity will be connected to the grid for use outside the island.
Moving forward, the Mianchuan "zero-carbon island" will comprehensively advance the organic integration of multiple resources such as wind, solar, storage, hydrogen, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The goal is to build a matrix of clean energy sources, including wind and photovoltaic power, to develop a new type of power system in the Yangtze River Basin and promote green and low-carbon development along the Yangtze River Economic Belt.