On October 22, a representative from State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. shared some exciting news regarding the electricity sales figures for the first three quarters of this year. The total sales volume for Xinjiang’s electric grid reached an impressive 155.36 billion kilowatt-hours, officially surpassing the 150 billion kilowatt-hours milestone. This marks a year-on-year growth of 20.19%, making Xinjiang the top-performing province among 27 regional companies under the State Grid Corporation.
When assessing regional economic development, electricity sales act as a reliable indicator. The substantial increase in Xinjiang’s electricity sales during the first three quarters reflects a robust and sustainable economic growth trend in the region. Specifically, the secondary sector in Xinjiang reported sales of 100.20 billion kilowatt-hours, a year-on-year increase of 18.59 billion kilowatt-hours, which translates to a growth rate of 22.78%. This sector alone accounted for 64.49% of the total electricity sales, highlighting its critical role in the overall growth of the electric grid.
A closer look at the data across various industries reveals that four key sectors—industry, transportation and storage, wholesale and retail, and accommodation and catering—saw remarkable year-on-year growth rates exceeding 20%. Specifically, these sectors experienced increases of 23.48%, 21.53%, 20.99%, and 20.30%, respectively, indicating a consistently positive business trend.
This year, Xinjiang has prioritized the cultivation and expansion of its unique advantage industries as a cornerstone for high-quality development. The region is actively supporting the growth of nine major industry clusters, including oil and gas production, coal and electricity chemical processing, green mining, grain and oil, cotton and textiles, organic fruits and vegetables, quality livestock and poultry products, new energy and materials, and cultural tourism. Cumulatively, users from these nine clusters consumed 37.92 billion kilowatt-hours, marking an increase of 3.87 billion kilowatt-hours, or 11.39%, compared to last year.
The notable surge in electricity sales can be closely linked to the ongoing optimization of the business environment for the electric power sector in Xinjiang. This improved environment has fostered a steady increase in the number of grid users, leading to a rise in electricity demand. According to statistics, the total number of customers served by Xinjiang’s electric grid has surpassed 13 million for the first time, reaching 13.227 million by the end of September, an addition of 430,800 users since the end of 2023. Notably, the growth consists of a significant increase in both residential and commercial users, with 372,000 and 47,900 new connections, respectively.
