Recently, at an altitude of 4,650 meters in the Tanggula Mountain area of Amdo County, Nagqu, Tibet, the world's highest-altitude tower solar thermal project — the Tibet KaiTou Amdo County Tushuo 100MW Tower Solar Thermal Power Station — reached a major milestone, as the first heliostat successfully reflected its light spot onto the 165-meter commissioning target. This heliostat, independently developed by Dongfang Boiler CO., LTD., precisely tracked the sun's trajectory in the high-altitude strong ultraviolet environment, concentrating sunlight onto the 185-meter-high receiver tower. With a clear light spot and stable positioning, this marks the entry of the ultra-high-altitude concentrating solar power system's heliostat field into the tracking and commissioning phase.
As a core milestone of the project, the light spot hitting the tower serves as a precise measuring tool, rigorously testing each heliostat's tracking accuracy and structural stability under the disturbance of high-altitude strong winds and dramatic day-night temperature variations. The stable positioning of the reflected light spot marks the first global breakthrough by Dongfang Boiler CO., LTD. in solving the precise collaborative control challenge of heliostat clusters in ultra-high-altitude environments, laying an unshakable technical foundation for the subsequent comprehensive joint commissioning and testing of tens of thousands of heliostats.
Nearly 16,000 "Dongfang-made" heliostats have all been delivered, with tracking accuracy reaching 1.07 milliradians and daily production capacity of a single line reaching 6,000 square meters — both ranking at the industry's leading level.
During the construction process, Dongfang Boiler CO., LTD. designated the project as its "No. 1 Tackling Project," assembling a dedicated performance team. Adhering to the principle of "building Party branches on the project," the company established a performance fulfillment system featuring "Party building leadership, precise production scheduling, and all-out tackling." The project team has been stationed on-site for the long term, upholding the spirit of "lacking oxygen but not spirit; facing hardship but not fearing hardship" to control every process and calibrate every precision. The first light spot hitting the tower is not only a technological breakthrough, but also a powerful declaration that China's solar thermal industry has established a firm foothold on the "Roof of the World."
The project is scheduled to achieve full-capacity grid connection this year. After commissioning, it will generate approximately 260 million kWh of electricity annually. It is expected to save 60,000 tons of standard coal and reduce CO₂ emissions by 165,000 tons per year, meeting the electricity needs of approximately 50,000 households in Amdo County and surrounding areas. It will effectively alleviate the tight winter power supply situation in northern Tibet's power grid, injecting strong momentum into the achievement of "dual carbon" goals and the development of clean energy in Tibet.