According to State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd, the cumulative electricity sales of the Xinjiang power grid reached 59.666 billion kWh in the first quarter of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 10.48%, setting a new record for the same period in history.
Electricity data serve as a barometer of regional economic activity. The data show that in the first quarter, electricity sales to the secondary industry in Xinjiang reached 38.397 billion kWh, accounting for 74.37% of total industrial electricity sales and growing 15.96% year-on-year, making it the core driver of electricity demand and economic growth.
By key industry, Xinjiang's silicon photovoltaic industry continues to demonstrate strong advantages, with the production of industrial silicon and polysilicon ranking first in the nation. Driven by rising global silicon material prices, silicon-based enterprises in Xinjiang have maintained robust production momentum and strong electricity demand. In the first quarter, 21 silicon-based companies in Xinjiang consumed a total of 4.643 billion kWh of electricity, up 48.31% year-on-year, an increase of 1.512 billion kWh, which directly contributed 2.8 percentage points to the growth rate of electricity sales in the region.
In the field of energy storage, independent energy storage users in the Xinjiang power grid purchased 1.424 billion kWh of electricity in the first quarter, a staggering 274.35% year-on-year increase, representing an additional 1.044 billion kWh. These figures strongly indicate that Xinjiang is accelerating its transformation from a major clean energy production region to a strong energy storage and dispatch hub, with continuously improving utilization of clean energy.
Written by Cora Ji, jiruyan@mysteel.com
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