Photo shows heliostats neatly arrayed at the Xizang Kaitou Tushuo 100MW tower concentrated solar power plant.

15,927 heliostats have been installed at the Xizang Kaitou Tushuo 100MW tower CSP plant, invested by the Xizang Development Investment Group Co., Ltd. The project is the world's highest-altitude tower CSP plant and the first of its kind in Xizang, marking a key step toward grid connection.

The site receives over 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. The heliostat field covers roughly 800,000 square meters and resembles a giant sunflower when viewed from above. A major component of Xizang's 14th Five-Year Plan and its 750 MW solar thermal initiative, the plant involves a total investment of about 2.04 billion yuan(≈300 million dollars). It employs advanced molten salt tower CSP technology: 15,927 heliostats concentrate sunlight onto a receiver tower, heating molten salt to 560°C, which then passes through counterflow heat exchangers to produce electricity.

According to design estimates, the plant will generate an average of 255 million kWh of electricity per year — equivalent to saving 60,000 tonnes of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 165,000 tonnes. The plant can deliver continuous, stable power by storing heat during the day and generating electricity at night, providing dispatchable output. This will help fill the stable power supply gap in the northern Xizang grid and raise the share of clean energy.During construction, the group prioritized local economic benefits. Through skills training in welding, electrical work and heliostat installation, it expects to generate about 118 million yuan in income for local farmers and herders, enabling them to increase earnings through work and skills. Once operational, the plant is projected to contribute around 10 million yuan in annual tax revenue, and 250 million yuan over its life cycle.

To overcome challenges posed by ultra-high altitude, extreme cold, frequent strong winds and a weak grid, the group applied an intelligent control system to ensure stable grid connection. It has also initiated a key research project on tower CSP technology under weak-grid, ultra-high-altitude conditions, integrating cutting-edge technologies to strengthen the full life-cycle technical chain and fundamentally improve the resilience and reliability of high-altitude CSP plants. Moving forward, Xizang Development Investment Group will accelerate construction of the receiver tower and power block, aiming to connect the plant to the grid by October this year.

Reporter: Li Meiying

Translator: Dan Zhen, Liu Fang

Review: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen