On July 22, with the illumination of the receiver tower at the Bortala Million-Kilowatt Thermal Storage CSP New Energy Integrated Project, China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) first 100 MW tower CSP energy storage project successfully entered full-system trial operation.
The project has a total installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, adopting an operational model of 100 MW tower thermal storage CSP paired with 900 MW of photovoltaic (PV) power. The CSP plant employs molten salt tower technology, featuring a 220-meter-high receiver tower and a "super mirror" energy matrix composed of 13,402 heliostats. These mirrors reflect and concentrate solar energy from a 530,000-square-meter area onto the receiver, heating the molten salt medium to 565 degrees Celsius. The heated high-temperature molten salt is stored in a hot salt tank, enabling 8 hours of energy storage.
At present, the project is systematically carrying out commissioning, grid-connection tests, and performance testing to ensure the safe and stable operation of the CSP system, laying the groundwork for its subsequent formal transition to commercial operation. Going forward, CNNC will resolutely fulfill its social responsibilities as a centrally administered state-owned enterprise, leverage its own and upstream and downstream resource advantages, continue to drive local employment through major projects, and inject strong momentum into Xinjiang's energy structure transformation and high-quality regional development.