At 11 p.m. on May 2, a cheer went up across the Gobi Desert in Hami, Xinjiang. With the assistance of Zoomlion cranes, the first wind turbine of Section II of the wind farm main construction project of the Xinjiang Tianshan North Slope New Energy Base Project — China's first large-scale "desert-Gobi-wasteland" base external transmission channel project — was successfully hoisted into place, pressing the accelerator on the "Xinjiang Power to Chongqing" initiative.

▲ A Zoomlion crawler crane completes the hoisting of the project's first wind turbine

The project is an important component of "Xinjiang Power to Chongqing," a key project of the national 14th Five-Year Plan, with a total installed capacity of 4.1 million kilowatts. Once completed, it will effectively integrate Chongqing's electricity demand with Xinjiang's resource advantages and promote the cross-regional optimal allocation of energy resources. The construction scope of Section II is enormous, requiring the installation of wind turbines across hundreds of square kilometers of Gobi Desert.

The wind turbine unit hoisted by Zoomlion cranes this time has a single-unit capacity of 8.35 MW, blades 103 meters long, and a total weight of 735 tons. Facing challenges such as a tight schedule and a complex environment, the project team formulated a "one turbine, one plan" before hoisting, repeatedly rehearsing key steps including the placement of equipment and tools on site, crane positioning, and full-load testing. During the day, the Gobi Desert frequently experiences force 6-7 gales; to ensure safety, the hoisting of the wind turbine blades was scheduled at night.

▲ Zoomlion cranes hoist the project's wind turbine

Late at night at the project site, the builders worked under lights, seizing the brief windows of low wind, with one Zoomlion 1,000-ton crawler crane and three auxiliary cranes operating in unison. Throughout the hoisting process, the equipment lifted smoothly, and as the blades of the Y530 turbine achieved a "millimeter-level" docking with the nacelle at an altitude of 116 meters, the precise performance fully met construction expectations, creating a good start for the project's subsequent progress.

▲ Zoomlion cranes complete the hoisting of the project's first wind turbine

The strong winds of the Gobi will light up the myriad lamps of the mountain city, and these major national equipment have added a vivid stroke to this "wind-and-sunlight rendezvous." With technologically leading and excellently built cranes of all types, Zoomlion is creating efficient and reliable full-scenario wind power hoisting solutions, serving major project construction across regions and helping to realize the "dual carbon" goals at an early date.