On June 29, the first solar thermal power plant in Northeast China — the CGN Jixi Base 100,000-kilowatt solar thermal power plant in Da'an City, Jilin Province — commenced operation, marking a new breakthrough in the application of CSP technology in high-latitude cold regions of China.
Located in a severe cold climate zone at 45.36°N latitude, this is China's northernmost solar thermal power plant. With an installed capacity of 100,000 kilowatts and thermal storage capacity of up to 8 hours, the station is capable of 24-hour safe, stable, and continuous operation. The plant primarily uses a large array of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a heat collection device, thereby enabling energy storage.
According to reports, the project site experiences minimum temperatures as low as -37.3°C and maximum wind speeds of up to Force 9, while also facing multiple engineering challenges including saline-alkali soil conditions. Through systematic technological breakthroughs, the construction team developed a standardized solution that can be replicated and promoted in cold regions above 45°N latitude and under harsh geological conditions. After commissioning, the project is expected to generate 180 million kWh of electricity annually, equivalent to saving approximately 54,000 tons of standard coal consumption and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 139,000 tons.
