Hong Kong, China, June 24, 2016 - United Photovoltaics Group Limited (“United PV”, stock code: 00686.HK, whose largest shareholder is China Merchants New Energy Group “CMNE”), a leading investor and operator of solar power plants in China is pleased to announce that its 100MW solar power plant project in Datong, Shanxi successfully generated power after grid connection.

Located in coal-mining subsidence area of Datong, Shanxi, the country's first National Advanced Technology Solar Demonstration Base, the project is not only the first demonstration for the “Top Runner” Program by the National Energy Administration, but also aims to promote the application of advanced photovoltaic products and the industry upgrading. The "Top Runner" Program is becoming the concrete implementation of China's response to cope with climate change.

On 4 August 2015, United PV was granted the exclusive right to develop and operate the project and officially launched it in November in the same year. In the effort of our development and construction team, the project progressed rapidly. It successfully connected to Grid on 24 May, 2016, and began to generate power on 24 June, 2016.

To lead the role of demonstration, the project adopts most-efficient monocrystalline silicon modules with the best conversion in China, and uses string inverters, AC buses, wireless coverage in the station area, intelligent operation and maintenance and other advanced technology on the basis of integrating the power generation function with mountain forests, which has greatly enhanced the project construction, management and operational efficiency. In addition, both device detection during the construction period and the overall quality detection after the completion of the project are verified by TUV NORD (the world's leading third-party testing organization), ensuring the power station of high standard quality.

With the efficient internal management and construction process, the plant is the first one to be ripe to grid into connection and proceed relevant procedures among all the projects in the Base. It is therefore praised by counterparts by being called "top runner on the ‘Top Runner’ Base". At the same time, with the successful development and construction of the project, United PV won “2016 'Chinese Top Runner' Outstanding Enterprises Award” granted by the Xinhua News Agency in April this year. The plant was also nominated "2016 Best Practices of Photovoltaic Power Plants” .