On 7 September the Xinjiang Turpan Tangshan Haitai 100 MW tower CSP plant—general-contracted by Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., LTD, of China Power Engineering Consulting Group (CPECC Northwest), an executive vice-chairman unit of the CSTA—was brought into full-system operation. The solar field, thermal-storage/heat-exchange system, steam-turbine generator and all auxiliary equipment are now carrying load, realising combined “CSP + PV” generation across the integrated project.
Located in the Qiquanhu PV Industrial Park, Gaochang District, Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Tangshan Haitai CSP plant is the core component of the autonomous-region key project “Tangshan Haitai CSP-PV Integration Project”. Shouhang High-tech Energy Technology Co., Ltd. supplied the solar field, which comprises 4 535 heliostats, each with a reflective area of 115.72 m², giving a total solar-collecting area of more than 520 000 m² and 12 hours of thermal storage. The receiver, mounted atop a 190 m tower, is rated at 314 MWth.
In commercial operation the plant is expected to deliver 1 142 full-load hours annually, generating about 114.2 GWh of electricity each year. This will save 34 260 t of standard coal and cut emissions by roughly 89 076 t of CO₂, 3.81 t of dust, 12.79 t of SO₂ and 18.27 t of NOₓ per annum.
As an integral part of the 100MW “CSP + PV” hybrid complex—paired with an adjacent 900 MW photovoltaic array—the plant combines the CSP station’s ability to generate round-the-clock power, its large storage capacity and superior dispatchability with the PV farm’s short construction lead time and high conversion efficiency. The synergy markedly raises overall generation efficiency, system stability and power-supply quality, curbs renewable-energy curtailment, and offers a new route to overcoming bottlenecks in the development of large-scale renewable-energy bases, advancing a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient modern energy system.