The city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is reportedly ramping up its transformation and development, with its industry upgrading and its industrial structure being adjusted – even as it pays strict attention to protecting its environment.

Ordos covers an area of 87,000 square kilometers and its proven reserves of coal are 210.2 billion metric tons, accounting for about one-sixth of the country's total. Meanwhile, its proven reserves of natural gas are also massive at 4.9 trillion cubic meters, about one-third of China's total.

In the past, the non-coal sectors in Ordos accounted for only 32 percent of the industries above a designated size, with coal and related industries accounting for more than 50 percent of the total economic output.

It was widely acknowledged that the region had all the hallmarks of heavy industry overreliance and industry simplification. Moreover, the efficiency of resource utilization was not high and investment in scientific and technological innovation was regarded as insufficient.

Nowadays, however, a new industrial development pattern has gradually taken shape, featuring green upgrades to the coal, chemicals, metallurgy, building materials and cashmere industries. In addition, there has been advanced development of the equipment manufacturing, new materials and clean energy industries.

Taking the development of clean energy as an example, Ordos has set a goal that by 2025, its installed capacity of new energy should exceed the installed capacity of thermal power. Moreover, by 2030, total new energy power generation is projected to top that of thermal power generation.

To achieve these goals, Ordos is planning to coordinate the development of its wind, solar and hydrogen power.

The total usable land area of Ordos is nearly 4 million mu (266,667 hectares) and its use will help to bring the total solar power installed capacity in the city to about 110 million kilowatts.

The area given over to large-scale development of wind power parks in Ordos has reached 6,758 sq km and the total installed wind power capacity to be developed will be about 15.25 million kW.

Elsewhere, the 1-million-kW solar power park in the Kubuqi Desert has been connected to the grid at full capacity, becoming the largest concentrated contiguous desert solar power plant in China.