XINING -- A photovoltaic project with a power generation capacity of 900 MW went into operation on Sunday in Northwest China's Qinghai province.

It is the second-phase project for an ultra-high-voltage power line that transmits electricity from Qinghai to Central China's Henan province, according to China Three Gorges Corporation.

The photovoltaic project, located in Gonghe county of Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, covers an area of about 1,540 hectares at an altitude of 3,000 meters in the northeast part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the corporation said.

This project will generate about 2.1 billion kWh of electricity on average a year, equivalent to saving about 640,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.74 million tonnes.

Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai is rich in clean energy resources, such as water, wind and solar power, making it an ideal place for the development of the new energy industry.