Chinese state-owned energy company China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) connected the first 25 MW generating unit of its 50 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Tibet’s Ali Prefecture to the regional grid on Nov. 6. The company said the facility, located at an average elevation of 4,300 meters above sea level, is the world’s highest-altitude operational grid-connected CSP plant.

The facility is part of a 150 MW demonstration project in Gar County that combines 100 MW of solar PV capacity with 50 MW of CSP power generation. Total investment stands at approximately CNY 2.4 billion ($330 million). According to CGN, it is the first CSP project in Tibet to achieve grid connection.

The CSP installation consists of two 25 MW steam turbine units. The first was synchronized with the grid on Nov. 6, while the second is scheduled to come online by the end of 2026, bringing the facility to its full rated capacity.

Unlike conventional CSP plants, which use concentrated sunlight to generate heat, the Ali facility uses surplus PV electricity to power a molten salt electric heater with a peak rating of 205 MW. The system converts electricity into thermal energy for storage and subsequent power generation.

CGN said the project is the first CSP facility to integrate PV-powered electric heating, molten salt thermal storage and asynchronous battery storage. The company also claims that the 205 MW electric heater is the largest deployed in a CSP application worldwide. Neither claim, however, has been independently verified.

The plant incorporates a molten salt thermal storage system designed to provide 14 hours of storage, alongside a lithium-ion battery system for rapid frequency response.

Source link