In November in the Gobi Desert, the wind blows sand particles and makes a clattering sound on the equipment casing, and the oxygen in the air is only 70% of that in the plain. On this barren beach at an altitude of 2850 meters, a boiler was set on fire, and the flame steadily burned for seven days and nights in the oxygen deficient air, never extinguishing once.

Burn a fire in the oxygen deficient Gobi Desert

On November 5, 2026, Unit 1 of Qinghai Huadian Golmud Phase I Thermal Power Project completed a 168 hour trial operation and officially began commercial operation. This is the highest altitude ultra supercritical thermal power project in China, built in Golmud City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, with an average altitude of about 2850 meters. It is equipped with two 660MW ultra supercritical indirect air-cooled condensing coal-fired units, with an annual power generation capacity of up to 6 billion kilowatt hours. It will effectively enhance the safety and stability support capacity of Qinghai power grid and provide peak shaving guarantee for large-scale consumption of new energy.

The difficult part is underground. The plateau Gobi has low oxygen and low pressure, making it difficult for coal to burn through. In addition, the high alkali content of coal makes the unit prone to coking and ash accumulation. The project combines start-up oxygenation and ultra-low load stable combustion technology to create a complete set of boiler solutions that are suitable for high-altitude, fully fueled with high alkali coal, and can flexibly adjust peak load. This solves the technical problems of high-altitude thermal power construction and fills the industry gap.

Not a single drop of wastewater is allowed to flow out

There is another test question for thermal power on the plateau, which is water and ash. All industrial water for the project is taken from the reclaimed water in Golmud City, and a quality treatment and cascade reuse system has been established. The innovative application of multi effect flash evaporation and high-temperature bypass flue evaporation technology has resulted in closed-loop consumption and zero discharge of waste water throughout the plant. The comprehensive utilization rate of ash, slag, and gypsum has reached 100%. The unit adopts the leading ultra supercritical power generation technology in China, and synchronously constructs flue gas desulfurization, denitrification, and electrostatic precipitator devices. The coal consumption for power supply is better than the national benchmark level, and the emissions of boiler flue gas pollutants meet the ultra-low emission standards.Keywords: Huadian Golmud, high-altitude thermal power peak shaving

The progress was also ignited by a fire. Since the main construction began in September 2024, seven nodes including boiler water pressure test, reverse power supply to the plant, turbine cylinder locking, boiler ignition, turbine start-up, unit grid connection, and 168 hour trial operation have been successfully completed at once. At present, the complete start-up of Unit 2 is being vigorously promoted, striving to achieve dual machine production within the year. The higher the altitude, the more it is necessary to calculate every gram of coal and every drop of water. This furnace has added a ballast stone to Qinghai Power Grid and also freed up space for the consumption of wind and solar power on the plateau, which is probably the most practical task for high-altitude thermal power.Editor/Min Jing