Kubuqi Desert

The Kubuqi Desert is a desert within the Ordos Basin in northwestern China, under the administration of the Inner Mongolian prefecture of Ordos City. Located between the Hetao plains and the Loess Plateau, it is part of the Ordos Desert along with the neighboring Mu Us Desert to its south, and is the 7th largest desert in China with an area of 18600 km2.

Desertification
The area had gone through desertification due to centuries of overgrazing.

Restoration
Starting in 1988, the Elion Resources Group and the Government of Beijing worked to reverse desertification and restore the environment. By 2017, one third of the desert has had greenery restored.

Economic value
GigaWatt scale powerplants are being built in the desert, using solar panels and wind turbines. 455 gigawatts of wind and solar are planned. In contrast, the North American grid had 1213 GW total in 2022.