Recently, the Golmud 350 MW tower-type concentrated solar power (CSP) project developed by Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd.—the world’s largest single-unit CSP project—reached a major construction milestone. The concrete shafts of Receivers No. 1 and No. 2 were successfully topped out, marking a breakthrough in the project’s main works and laying a solid foundation for subsequent installation of the receivers and other core systems.
The project officially commenced on October 16, 2025. Since then, the project team has kept its construction targets firmly in view, coordinated planning and execution with high efficiency, and completed a series of key milestones in rapid succession, setting a strong pace for large-scale CSP construction. On November 20, 2025, all three receiver tower foundations reached “above-zero” elevation. In less than one year, the three towers rose from the Gobi Desert: the 199 m concrete shafts of Receivers No. 1 and No. 2 were fully completed and topped out, while construction of Receiver No. 3 is progressing steadily and has reached 180 m.
From “groundbreaking at zero elevation” to “soaring into the sky,” the project team faced multiple challenges posed by high-altitude construction. Drawing on mature engineering management experience in large-scale CSP projects and technical strengths in complex construction conditions, the team scientifically planned construction methods, precisely allocated resources, and worked collaboratively with all participating units to overcome difficulties. All construction tasks were completed to high standards and with high efficiency, achieving the key objective of topping out the receiver towers.
At present, overall construction is stable, orderly, and accelerating across multiple fronts. Heliostats are being assembled and installed in an orderly manner; construction of four molten-salt storage tank bodies is progressing simultaneously; the main power building has reached the third of five floors; the structural frameworks of the plant-front area and office building have been completed; and major equipment—including the molten-salt receiver and pressure vessels—has arrived on site one after another. Next, the project team will strictly safeguard safety and quality red lines, concentrate efforts on key tasks such as receiver installation, heliostat installation, and construction of the thermal-storage and heat-exchange systems, and go all out to ensure the project achieves its grid-connected power generation target on schedule.
Project Overview
The Golmud 350 MW tower CSP project by Cosin Solar is the world’s largest single-unit CSP project. It adopts an innovative “three towers, one unit” design, is equipped with a 14-hour molten-salt thermal storage system, and has a total heliostat field area of approximately 3.30 million m². Once completed, the project is expected to generate about 964 million kWh of clean electricity annually—equivalent to saving 259,500 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 534,300 tonnes.
Cosin Solar is responsible for the whole-process project management, overall plant process design (excluding the conventional island), supply of core system equipment, commissioning, and operation and maintenance technical guidance. The company is also applying advanced proprietary CSP technologies, including multi-heliostat-field coordinated energy control technology, large-capacity safe and efficient molten-salt receiver technology, a distributed molten-salt energy storage solution, and a highly intelligent smart operation system for CSP plants.
As one of Qinghai Province’s 2024 CSP demonstration (pilot) projects, the project will, upon commissioning, fully leverage CSP’s capabilities in peak load provision, peak shaving, frequency regulation, and reserve duty. It will significantly enhance the flexibility of Qinghai’s power system and electricity supply capacity during peak hours, promote the integration and consumption of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources, and be of great significance to Qinghai’s efforts to accelerate the development of a national clean energy industrial highland.