Source: "Outlook" News Weekly
First, management is fragmented
Second, funding is complex
Third, market prices are chaotic
Fourth, standards are lacking
Starting from a petition report assigned by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Hunan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Discipline Inspection Commission of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province conducted a thorough investigation and found that some rural solar streetlight projects had poor quality, with more than half of the newly installed lights "blind" shortly after installation, or had serious shortages in quantity and inflated procurement prices.
In the past three months, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commissions of Xiangxi Prefecture have uncovered nearly 200 clues of a "corruption interest chain" in nearly 600 solar streetlight projects, interviewing, admonishing, and filing cases against more than 400 public officials and project contractors, including several county-level leaders.
Under the strong anti-corruption efforts of the discipline inspection and supervision departments and the active reporting by the public, some local public officials have voluntarily confessed problems and returned illegal gains, while some construction units have proactively lowered streetlight construction bids and replaced problematic streetlights themselves. The public applauds these actions and often provides clues to discipline inspection officers at many project inspection sites.
"Solar streetlight corruption" is by no means unique to Xiangxi, Hunan. Discipline inspection and supervision officers involved in the cases told "Outlook" News Weekly that emerging public welfare projects like solar streetlights are high-risk areas for corruption that are easily overlooked. There is an urgent need to address loopholes in pricing, quality standards, bidding, and tendering in this field, improve regulations, and strengthen supervision.
On January 11, the Xiangxi Food and Drug Administration, Industry and Commerce Bureau, and Quality Supervision Bureau jointly inspected rural solar streetlights in Zhongba Village, Shouche Town, Yongshun County, along with the County Discipline Inspection Commission.
[One petition report leads to a series of corruption cases]
In the second half of 2017, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Hunan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection assigned and guided the Xiangxi Prefecture Discipline Inspection Commission to investigate a petition report. The reporter claimed that funds for the solar streetlight project in Jianyan Village, Malichang Town, Huayuan County, were falsely claimed by village cadres. The Xiangxi Discipline Inspection Commission sent a special team to investigate and confirmed the report was untrue, but discovered that some public officials, including a deputy county party secretary on secondment, were suspected of intervening in the project for profit. Investigators further found similar issues in many rural solar streetlight projects.
"We must use the investigation of corruption in rural solar streetlight projects as a breakthrough to provide strong disciplinary guarantees for winning the battle against poverty." With the support of Xiangxi Prefecture Party Secretary Ye Hongzhuan, the Xiangxi Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commissions launched a concentrated governance campaign called the "Bright Action."
Long Chaoying, Secretary-General of the Xiangxi Discipline Inspection Commission, introduced that preliminary investigations into multiple rural solar streetlight projects in Xiangxi found nearly 2,000 lights not working. Additionally, the public reported insufficient numbers of streetlights and poor lighting effects.
For example, Hengyang Changning City invested over 300,000 yuan in 2015 to install solar streetlights in Dashao Village, Buzhou Township, Huayuan County, a targeted assistance area. Since last year, most streetlights have failed. The local public strongly complained, and in January this year, a discipline inspection undercover team found that 56 of the 72 solar streetlights were "blind"; in Yuanbao Community, Shigao Street, Longshan County, nearly half of the 60 streetlights were not working, and so on.
Deng Weimin, Secretary of the Xiangxi Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the Supervision Commission, said that nearly 180 million yuan was invested in rural streetlight illumination projects in Xiangxi over the past three years, covering 354 projects across eight counties and cities. Investigators found issues such as false claims, bid rigging, inflated prices, substandard materials, and shoddy workmanship in some projects.
For example, the Baoying County Poverty Alleviation Office allocated 200,000 yuan to a village based on a standard of 5,000 yuan per solar streetlight, but only 90,000 yuan was actually used for construction, with an actual unit price of 2,250 yuan (including profit); contractor Yang admitted giving kickbacks of 400 to 1,000 yuan per light to the client in a Phoenix County streetlight project; the Yongshun County Discipline Inspection Commission found that some project funds eventually ended up in the bank accounts of key township party and government leaders.
Tian Xixi, head of the Xiangxi Discipline Inspection Commission's publicity department, told this magazine that in recent months, the commission has been clearing and verifying implementing units, construction contracts, funding sources, and streetlight quantities village by village. Meanwhile, relying on a "Village Power Supervision WeChat Group" established by the commission with over 200,000 members across the prefecture, they mobilized the public to report problems. Notices were then issued urging involved public officials to confess problems within a deadline to seek leniency.
On January 23, Xiangxi Discipline Inspection staff checked the rectification of streetlights in Bier Village, Bier Town, Baojing County.
["Problematic streetlights" lit up again]
"Outlook" News Weekly reporters learned that through the "Bright Action" campaign and the strong case investigations by discipline inspection and supervision commissions at all levels in Hunan, along with active public reporting, some public officials could no longer sit still. They brought bundles of cash to discipline inspection agencies to confess problems and return illegal gains.
An investigator from the Xiangxi Discipline Inspection Commission said that before the Spring Festival, a mid-level cadre in Xiangxi came to the commission early in the morning carrying 100,000 yuan in cash to confess his disciplinary and legal violations; soon after, his deputy also tearfully confessed with 70,000 yuan; subsequently, a deputy director and a deputy county head also voluntarily confessed problems...
On January 3 this year, this magazine's reporter happened to meet a grassroots cadre at the Huayuan County Supervision Commission who came to confess disciplinary and legal violations related to his years of responsibility for contracting rural solar streetlight and solar water heater projects, carrying over 500,000 yuan in cash.
"These nerve-wracking days have been unbearable! I saw the commission's notice saying that if one confesses voluntarily and makes a deep reflection, the punishment may be mitigated or reduced depending on the severity." The grassroots cadre tearfully told "Outlook" News Weekly reporters that after much struggle, he decided to confess to the organization as soon as possible.
It is reported that currently, disciplinary inspection and supervision departments at all levels in Xiangxi Prefecture have received voluntary disclosures from more than 30 individuals, including county- and bureau-level officials, township- and section-level staff and below, as well as construction contractors. These individuals have returned illicit funds totaling several million yuan. While accepting these "self-confessions," the Xiangxi Prefecture Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission has also coordinated efforts with audit, quality inspection, industry and commerce, and other relevant departments across prefectures, counties, and cities, enabling village-by-village investigations that continue to yield significant breakthroughs.
The Baojing County Poverty Alleviation Office allocated a 200,000-yuan street lighting project fund to a certain village, of which 110,000 yuan was falsely reported and misappropriated.
Four officials from a department in Huayuan County collectively divided up 1.1 million yuan in "kickback" funds from an energy project.
In Lingxi Town, Yongshun County, a village was contracted to install 180 streetlights, but only 54 were actually installed.
A functional department in Longshan County divided a 2 million yuan street lighting project into two separate contracts worth 1.86 million yuan and 140,000 yuan, effectively bypassing the requirement for an open tender… Over 400 people have already been interviewed, and investigations have led to criminal cases being filed against dozens of individuals.
Earlier, some of the engineering contractors who had "played fast and loose" with their work either made corrections under the supervision of the discipline inspection and supervision authorities, or quietly took matters into their own hands amid external pressure—adding missing components and replacing those of poor quality. As of early March, about 3,200 "problematic streetlights" across Xiangxi Prefecture were back in operation, while the proportion of rural solar-powered streetlights now functioning reached 99.8%.
When a reporter from *Outlook* News Weekly visited Dashaocun Village on the Lantern Festival, they found that at 7 p.m., all 56 solar-powered streetlights—once seemingly "blinded" by darkness—had lit up, brightly illuminating the village roads, well platforms, and the cultural and sports square.
"We’ve reported this many times before, but no one ever came to fix it. Luckily, this time the disciplinary committee checked the lights—now we finally don’t have to walk home in the dark anymore," said a villager.
Relevant officials from the Xiangxi Prefecture Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision stated that the first phase of the targeted cleanup campaign—known as "Get It Lit"—has been preliminarily completed. Moving forward, they will ensure rural solar-powered streetlight projects not only "shine brightly," but also meet contractual requirements for proper maintenance to "keep shining." Ultimately, the goal is to establish a long-term, sustainable maintenance system that keeps the lights "burning bright in people's hearts," while simultaneously addressing corruption to illuminate the path to transparency and trust among the public.
[Be Alert to Regulatory Gaps in Emerging Public Welfare Programs]
During interviews and surveys, some grassroots Party members and officials told reporters from *Outlook Weekly* that strengthening oversight in poverty alleviation efforts—particularly over funds allocated to initiatives like "no worries about food and clothing, and guaranteed access to essential services"—as well as investments in infrastructure projects such as water, road, and electricity networks, has effectively curbed corruption practices resembling the "geese plucking feathers" phenomenon. However, regulatory gaps still exist in emerging welfare programs benefiting rural communities, such as rural solar streetlights, underscoring the urgent need for greater attention and vigilance.
Wang Minggao, a senior professor at Hunan University of Commerce who has long been engaged in integrity studies, said that this time, the Xiangxi disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities started with a single case—specifically, an assigned petition—and used it as a starting point to identify broader systemic issues. By proactively encouraging those involved to come forward through public notices and media announcements, as well as leveraging "Internet Plus" tools like the "Village Rights Supervision WeChat Group" to engage local residents in oversight, the authorities have made a proactive effort to strengthen regulatory oversight in emerging areas benefiting the public.
Market research indicates that, as poverty alleviation efforts and the rural revitalization strategy continue to advance, demand for solar-powered streetlights in rural areas could reach 22 million units by 2020. Experts surveyed emphasized that this massive market involves significant public funding for construction and procurement, underscoring the need for strengthened oversight to prevent opportunities for rent-seeking through misuse of power.
Several grassroots officials interviewed who were involved in investigating the case pointed out that emerging public-benefit projects like solar-powered streetlights still carry risks, including opportunities for corruption and harm to the public interest.
First, there’s the issue of multiple authorities involved. For instance, in the implementation of rural solar streetlights, numerous stakeholders exist—departments such as the Agricultural Commission (Energy Office), Poverty Alleviation Office, Finance Department, and Housing & Urban-Rural Development Bureau. While each department has the power to oversee the project, they often lack the specialized expertise needed to do so effectively. Moreover, without a robust inter-departmental coordination mechanism, it becomes nearly impossible to ensure seamless management throughout the entire process.
Regarding the project implementation entities, in addition to relevant functional departments, township Party committees and governments, as well as poverty alleviation teams, can all act as project owners responsible for project contracting and management. As for the contracting methods, some projects are awarded through open bidding, others via request-for-quotation procurement, while a few are directly contracted without following formal procedures. In terms of construction qualification management, some projects are carried out by authorized manufacturers, while others involve unqualified individuals from the community. As a result, there are noticeable discrepancies among different types of project owners in their understanding and adherence to project construction requirements and procedures.
Second, the funding is complex. Rural solar street lighting projects draw funds from multiple sources, including special poverty alleviation allocations from higher authorities, dedicated support funds, assistance funds from more developed regions, fiscal "one-off project" investments, and self-raised funds from various departments. The level of flexibility—and corresponding oversight—varies significantly across these funding streams, creating opportunities for a few individuals eager to engage in illicit financial dealings.
Third, there is market price inconsistency. Take the widely used high-mast solar streetlights in rural areas today as an example—prices for these systems vary significantly, ranging from over 1,000 yuan per set all the way up to several thousand or even 10,000 yuan. According to statistics from Xiangxi’s recent cleanup effort, the highest unit price for solar streetlight projects across the prefecture reached 7,200 yuan per lamp, while the lowest was 2,800 yuan per lamp. Most projects, however, were completed at prices between 4,000 and 6,000 yuan per unit, with a few townships and villages even managing to secure purchases at as low as 1,500 yuan per lamp through self-initiated procurement efforts. As a result, there still lacks a clear benchmark to determine whether the winning bid prices for these projects were too high or reasonably competitive.
Fourth, there is a lack of standards. Currently, at the national level or within the industry, there is no unified, authoritative quality standard for solar streetlights. For instance, there’s no clear benchmark regarding how long a solar streetlight should stay lit, how bright it should be, or what responsibilities manufacturers and suppliers should take on for post-purchase warranty and maintenance.
Senior experts interviewed by Wang Ming recommend that high-priority efforts should be made to swiftly develop and implement a comprehensive series of quality standards for rural solar streetlights. They also suggest promoting high-quality, energy-efficient products, establishing reasonable industry-guided pricing, and strengthening the role of specialized institutions in overseeing project completion acceptance and operational audits. Only by refining institutional frameworks and ensuring robust regulatory accountability can we effectively curb corrupt practices involving money and power in these emerging projects aimed at benefiting local communities. (Reported by Su Xiaozhou and Zhang Yujie, reporters from *Outlook Weekly*, published in Issue 15 of *Outlook* 2018)
