On the Gobi Desert of the Wutumeren Photovoltaic Thermal Park in Golmud, Qinghai, tens of thousands of heliostats are rotating day by day. In June 2026, the CGN Golmud 350 MW solar thermal demonstration project will start construction here; Two months later, on August 10th, the bidding results were announced. Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd. of Dongfang Electric Group won the bid for the steam turbine generator unit section for 108 million yuan, providing one set of 350 megawatt subcritical once reheat steam turbine generator set for this power station, which has set a record for the world's largest single unit heat storage capacity.

This is not the first handshake between Dongfang Turbine and CGN. From the first large-scale solar thermal demonstration power station in Delingha with a capacity of 50 MW in China, to subsequent projects of 100 MW and 200 MW, and to the current benchmark of 350 MW, both parties have accumulated five sets of solar thermal turbine equipment. Dongfang Turbine has also established a full power level solar thermal turbine product system from 25 MW to 350 MW, which can adapt to mainstream technologies such as trough, tower, and Fresnel.

Global Double First

The Golmud project is a key clean energy benchmark project in Qinghai Province, with two indicators ranking at the top of the world: a single unit thermal storage capacity of 11747 megawatt hours and a total mirror field lighting area of 3.7 million square meters (about 518 standard football fields), both of which are the highest in the world for solar thermal power plants.

The project adopts the industry's first molten salt tower and trough coupling route, which includes three single 1.1 million square meter tower mirror fields and one 400000 square meter trough mirror field, equipped with 15 hour long-term molten salt heat storage. The trough side is equipped with China General Nuclear Power's self-developed and globally largest 8.6-meter molten salt trough collector, with a concentration ratio of 107.5 times and a collection temperature increased from 290 degrees Celsius to 550 degrees Celsius. The entire core components are 100% independently controllable.

Special aircraft with dedicated storage

Solar thermal power generation relies on the sun for its livelihood, with concentrated sunlight during the day and heat released at night. The unit must withstand repeated start stop and load fluctuations. The 350 MW unit supplied by Dongfang Turbine this time is specifically designed for tower type molten salt working conditions: the high-pressure module and the reheating system are matched according to the characteristics of molten salt steam generation, directly air-cooled and reheated once, focusing on efficient power generation, flexible peak shaving, reliable start stop, strong energy storage adaptability, and can convert intermittent fluctuations in solar thermal resources into stable grid connected electricity.

According to the project milestones, the steam turbine is expected to be delivered on May 30, 2027, and the power plant is planned to be put into operation on May 31, 2028. It will be connected to the Yichu Solar Thermal Boosting Station through a 330 kV line and then sent to the Kunlun Mountain 750 kV substation.

Ten year five piece set

After being put into operation, the power station generates an average of about 1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, equivalent to saving 320000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 860000 tons. It has a model significance for optimizing the energy structure, new energy consumption, and building new power systems in the northwest region.

Behind it is a clear curve of domestic substitution: in 2018, Delingha connected 50 megawatts to the grid, making China one of the few countries in the world that has mastered large-scale solar thermal technology; In 2025, Dongfang Turbine will ship the first 200 MW solar thermal turbine in China; By 2026, the 350 MW order for Golmud will be secured, and five units will be gradually shifted over the next decade. The unit cost of solar thermal power has decreased from about 30000 yuan per kilowatt to the range of 15000 yuan, and the on grid electricity price has risen from 1.15 yuan per kilowatt hour to 0.6 yuan. Equipment localization is one of the core driving forces for cost reduction.keywords:New energy information network

Next, Dongfang Turbine will continue to focus on the clean energy main track and tackle core technologies for new energy equipment. The mirrors on the Gobi Desert are chasing the sun, and the rotors are machined into shape in the factory. This domestically produced solar thermal power heart is embedding the long-term adjustment ability of "storing heat during the day and generating electricity at night" into the framework of a large national clean energy base.Editor/Yang Meiling