CGN Connects First Unit of 4,300-Meter Molten-Salt Plant in Xizang

• CGN connected the first 25-MW unit of its 50-MW PV-heated molten-salt plant in Ngari, Xizang, to the grid on Nov. 6.
• The plant sits at an average 4,300 meters and stores heat for 14 hours; CGN calls it the world's highest grid-connected solar thermal plant.
• Unit 2 is due on the grid by the end of 2026; the 150-MW PV and thermal project has a total investment of about CNY 2.4 billion.

China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) connected the first 25-MW turbine unit of its 50-MW solar thermal power plant in Ngari prefecture, Xizang, to the grid on Nov. 6, according to a CGN statement carried by the China Solar Thermal Alliance. The site in Gar County sits at an average altitude of 4,300 meters. CGN calls it the world's highest grid-connected solar thermal plant and Xizang's first grid-connected solar thermal project.

The plant has no mirror field. Off-grid solar panels power molten-salt electric heaters rated at 205 MW, which CGN says is the largest such heater at any solar thermal plant. The hot salt stores energy for 14 hours and raises steam for the turbines after sunset. A lithium-ion battery link lets it switch between grid and stand-alone operation, the company said.

The thermal plant is part of a 150-MW project with a total investment of about CNY 2.4 billion ($357 million). Its 100-MW PV station is already fully connected. Construction of the thermal section began in July 2024. EPC contractor PowerChina Zhongnan Engineering said unit 1 synchronized at 00:22 local time, after its turbine first rolled on Aug. 26.

The plant in numbers

• 150 MW of grid capacity: 100 MW of PV plus a 50-MW thermal plant with two 25-MW turbine units.
• 205 MW of molten-salt electric heaters, CGN said.
• 29,500 tons of molten salt hold 14 hours of heat, according to the EPC contractor.
• 700 MWh of storage, or 50 MW times 14 hours at nameplate output (list.solar calculation).
• CNY 16 million of investment per MW of grid capacity (list.solar calculation).
• About 270 GWh of power a year once fully built, cutting CO2 emissions by about 168,200 tons, CGN said.
• 2,438 MW of concentrating solar power is installed in China after the Fukang plant connected, overtaking Spain, according to the alliance.

That national tally counts mirror-based plants such as the 100-MW Fukang tower in Xinjiang; the 350-MW Delingha project in Qinghai is still under construction. Ngari instead heats salt with electricity, so it works as long-duration energy storage fed by PV. The stored heat will also supply district heating in Shiquanhe town. Tan Xiangfeng, head of the Ngari energy bureau, said it was the first integrated PV and solar thermal project approved in Xizang.

Unit 2 is scheduled to connect to the grid by the end of 2026, CGN said.