Notice on Supporting the Standardized Land Management for the Development ofPhotovoltaic Power Generation Industry

On March 28th, the General Office of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Office of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the Comprehensive Department of the National Energy Administration jointly issued the Notice on Supporting the Standardized Land Management for the Development of Photovoltaic Power Generation Industry.

According to the Notice, China encourage utilizing unused land and existing construction land for the development of the photovoltaic power generation industry. While strictly protecting the ecology, it promotes the construction of large-scale photovoltaic bases in desert, Gobi, and wasteland areas. For oilfields, gas fields, and coal mining subsidence areas that are difficult to reclaim or restore, the planning and construction of photovoltaic bases in non-arable areas are to be promoted.

The Notice emphasizes that permanent basic farmland, basic grassland and Class I protected forest land, and key state-owned forest areas in northeastern Inner Mongolia cannot be occupied in the construction and expansion of photovoltaic power generation projects. The land for photovoltaic arrays must not be the arable land. If other agricultural land is used, reasonable control should be implemented, and land use should be efficient and economical to minimize the impact on ecology and agricultural production.