On 21 July 2025, the 100 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) block of the Jinta Zhongguang “CSP + PV” pilot project generated 1.024 million kWh in a single day, with a peak load of 100.04 MW.
The project began back-feeding on 30 March 2025. In early April, Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd. (Cosin Solar) and China Green Development Gansu Co. organized all participating parties to carry out salt melting and commissioning, achieving grid-connection on 28 May. After salt melting and a stabilization period, full-process commissioning was completed on 10 July. Within only 11 days—including three overcast and six partly-cloudy days—the plant reached full-load operation and set the single-day record of 1.024 million kWh on 21 July. Throughout the test run, the solar field, thermal-storage/heat-exchange, and steam-turbine power-block systems all operated stably.
The installation employs Cosin Solar’s fully proprietary tower-type molten-salt CSP technology. Cosin Solar is responsible for overall project management consulting, the complete plant process design (except the power island), supply of core system equipment, commissioning, and O&M technical guidance. The project also marks the successful deployment of several innovations:
Low-level tank + short-shaft pump molten-salt storage system
Cosin Solar designed and integrated the molten-salt storage/heat-exchange system using its patented low-level tank and short-shaft molten-salt pump arrangement. Lowering the minimum salt level reduces the salt inventory and cuts capital cost, while the short-shaft pump eliminates the high foundation requirements and vibration issues that plague conventional designs. The system went into fully automated operation from day one, with automatic level control and smooth running; during full-load operation all technical indices exceeded design values, and cold-salt-pump vibration was below 0.3 mm/s at rated flow, underscoring the technology’s advantages.
Optimized large-scale heliostat-field control
Covering roughly 770,000 m², the heliostat field employs Cosin Solar’s high-precision smart heliostats and field-control system, integrating state-of-the-art automation, algorithms, and software to meet the challenges of long-range, high-precision tracking and large-scale field control while boosting plant intelligence.
Medium-/high-voltage molten-salt electric heaters
A 20 MW, 6 kV molten-salt electric heater is installed. When PV power is curtailed, the heater absorbs the surplus electricity to heat and store energy in the molten-salt tanks; during morning and evening peaks the stored energy is converted back to electricity via the CSP system. The medium-/high-voltage, high-temperature electric heater enables bidirectional, rapid peak-shaving and improves overall plant economics.
In an industry first, the project used molten-salt electric heaters for the entire initial salt melting process, achieving a maximum melting rate of 1,000 t/day; all electricity for salt melting came from curtailed PV, sharply reducing melting costs.
The plant’s rapid ascent to full load and high performance after back-feeding underscore Cosin Solar’s deep expertise and comprehensive capabilities in tower-type CSP systems.
Going forward, Cosin Solar and project investor China Green Development Investment Group will continue to refine operations through Cosin Solar’s proprietary intelligent CSP O&M platform, enabling full-scope, real-time monitoring and advanced analytics for fine-grained, digital control. The goal is to establish the project as the new benchmark for “CSP-plus” integrated plants and to provide an advanced demonstration for efficient, stable operation of CSP projects in China’s large renewable-energy bases.
Project Overview
The Jinta Zhongguang “CSP + PV” pilot project is part of China’s second batch of large-scale wind-solar bases in deserts, Gobi, and other barren lands. Located in the Baishuiquan solar industrial zone, Jinta County, Jiuquan City, the plant has a total installed capacity of 700 MW—600 MW PV plus 100 MW CSP with nine hours of molten-salt storage. Once in commercial operation, it is expected to deliver 1.45 TWh of clean electricity annually, saving about 480,000 t of standard coal and avoiding roughly 1.36 million t of CO₂ emissions each year, contributing significantly to local socioeconomic development and energy conservation.