A view from Yumen Oilfield in Jiuquan city, Gansu province. [Photo/Website of China Jiuquan]

Across the vast, windswept landscapes of Northwest China, the Yumen Oilfield in Jiuquan — long hailed as the cradle of China's petroleum industry — has achieved its dual one-million goal.

Its oil and gas production equivalent has once again surpassed the mark of one million metric tons since 1960, while its installed capacity for new energy has exceeded one million kilowatts.

In recent years, Yumen has witnessed a sustained and profitable climb in oil and gas exploration. Proved reserves have increased by more than 10 million tons annually for seven consecutive years, and production equivalent has risen by over 100,000 tons per year for five straight years. After a 65-year wait, Yumen's oil and gas production equivalent has once again broken through the one-million-ton barrier.

Yumen's vision extended towards the sun and the wind. With remarkable efficiency, the oilfield built two large-scale, centralized photovoltaic power stations — the 200 MW Qingquan and the 300 MW Yining plants — complete with supporting energy storage systems, and pioneered the Jiudong zero-carbon oilfield project.

The final piece of this green puzzle fell into place with the recent completion of the main structure of the Hongliuquan 500,000 kW wind power project, initiated in 2025. This milestone propelled Yumen's cumulative installed new energy capacity past the landmark one-million-kilowatt threshold.

On the arid Gobi where its journey began, the old giant has been rejuvenated. Yumen Oilfield has achieved its hard-won double million goal and charts a course for sustainable growth in the decades to come.