According to the Aba Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau, the Aba Maikun "CSP + PV" Integrated Power Generation Demonstration Project (Phase I) has recently received approval from the bureau (Azhou Environmental Approval No. 42 of 2026). The project is a major clean energy demonstration project in Sichuan Province and the province's first tower CSP project; the "CSP + PV" composite development model is also the first of its kind in the province. Phase I has a total installed capacity of 1 GW, equipped with energy storage and comprehensive heating functions, with a total investment of approximately 4.425 billion yuan.
Image source: Aba Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau
Phase I of the project is located within Maierma Town, Anqiang Town, and Maikun Township in Aba County, with a total installed capacity of 1 GW and a total investment of approximately 4.425 billion yuan (excluding the outgoing transmission line and counterparty renovation). Of this, the CSP plant accounts for 100 MW and the PV plant for 900 MW. The CSP portion adopts the molten salt tower technology route with a thermal storage system, while the PV portion is built using a "grass-solar complementary" composite land-use approach.
Phase I is equipped with one CSP 110 kV step-up station, two PV 220 kV step-up stations, and energy storage facilities, with a centralized clean energy heating interface reserved simultaneously. Once completed, it can meet the heating needs of approximately 500,000 square meters of buildings in Aba County town. This is Sichuan Province's first large-scale CSP power generation demonstration project, jointly advanced by SICHUAN SHUDAO CLEAN ENERGY GROUP CO.,LTD. as the lead, together with CGN Wind Power and CHENGDU ENGINEERING CORPORATION LIMITED (PowerChina). The overall project is planned at 2 GW (200 MW CSP + 1,800 MW PV) with a total investment of approximately 9.2 billion yuan, to be implemented in two phases.
According to previously disclosed information, the Phase I site is at an altitude of approximately 3,600–3,900 meters. The bid-winning results for the two PV EPC (design and construction general contracting) sections were announced in September — the winning parties being CHENGDU ENGINEERING CORPORATION LIMITED, and The IT Electronics Eleventh Design & Research Institute Scientifc and Technological Engineering Corporation Limited (consortium: Highland Build CO.,Ltd.). The winning bidder for the CSP light concentration and heat collection system is Shouhang Energy Saving Solar Technology Co., Ltd., with a procurement contract value of 187 million yuan. The CSP plant's absorber tower stands 255 meters high, with a heliostat field of approximately 400,000 square meters, equipped with a molten salt thermal storage system featuring both peak-shaving and stable output functions.
Note: Compiled by the author from public information; any omissions are kindly requested to be pointed out and supplemented.
The Aba Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau stated that the project is located on the plateau in northwestern Sichuan, a highly ecologically sensitive area. The prefecture's ecological environment departments provided proactive services, jointly conducting demonstration and optimization with relevant departments around plateau grassland protection, impacts on wild animals and plants, and landscape coordination. While firmly safeguarding the ecological bottom line, they compressed the approval cycle and cleared bottlenecks. Once the project is in place, relying on the "CSP peak-shaving + PV generation + urban heating" model, it will accumulate practical experience for the multi-energy complementary development of renewable energy in Sichuan's high-altitude, alpine regions, supporting the green and low-carbon transformation of the Aba Plateau.