Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised during a meeting in North Korea last week to provide the North with a comprehensive aid package, including a specified allocation of funds for wind power development.

China is believed to have specifically selected wind power as part of the aid package, as the project could help relieve North Korea’s chronic energy shortage and is irrelevant to the North’s nuclear program.

Satellite photos of the Korean Peninsula show the North Korean side pitch-dark at night except for capital Pyongyang.

The North's power generation capacity is only one-eighth of South Korea's, with only 30 percent of North Korean power plants in operation. The North’s facilities are outdated and oil supplies are insufficient.

Experts say high wind density in North Korea makes it a favorable site for wind power development. China not only has a wealth of experience in the area, but wind power is an energy resource that, if provided by China, would help it avoid a dispute regarding U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang.