Milestone solar thermal power plant in Xinjiang provides stable output, job opportunities

A 50-megawatt solar thermal power plant in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region stands as a model for energy transition, providing both stable power output and job and training opportunities for surrounding areas.

As Xinjiang's first solar thermal power plant, it was built under the Hami Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Project, one of China's first generation of solar thermal power demonstration projects.

The sprawling facility is located in the vast Gobi Desert of Hami, Xinjiang, where a 220-meter-high molten salt tower rises like a beacon of the future over Naomao Lake. Surrounded by 14,500 heliostats that reflect sunlight onto the central tower, it heats molten salt to generate and store energy.

Feng Xiaoheng, director of the project’s operational department, introduced the operation status of the power plant, and the significant role it plays.

"The Hami CSP project is situated in the Yiwu County, Hami City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The project is the first of its kind that is self-designed, built, and commissioned by China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd (CEEC), including the operation and maintenance. The project, situated in the Gobi Desert of Naomao Lake, is listed in the first batch of national CSP demonstration projects, and one of the seven CSP projects in operation. The single-day power generation this year is 1.12 million kWh. Based on the daily electricity consumption of each household of about 5 to 6 kWh, our single-day electricity generation can meet the electricity demand of about 200,000 households," Feng said.

Amid the desolation, this "lighthouse in the Gobi" fills a critical gap in renewable energy infrastructure, lighting the path to a greener, more sustainable future in China's western region.

Feng emphasized that the project not only marks a milestone in power generation, but also plays an important role in talent training and employment, enabling many more such projects across Xinjiang to swiftly take shape.

"On the one hand, the Hami CSP project is a landmark project in Xinjiang; on the other hand, the project serves as a platform for domestic equipment to conduct the experience. Both sides can benefit from the project. The project also promotes the equipment (manufacturers) in the CSP industry to continue their research and development. Now, the newly built CSP projects have reached a localization rate of 80 percent. The Hami CSP project, as the first batch of CSP projects, is not only a power generation enterprise, but also a training place. It helps to foster personnel training in the CSP industry. I've been working in Xinjiang from 2004 after attending a university here from my hometown in Henan Province. Since the CSP industry's emergence in Xinjiang, this region is much more appealing to me. I think I should be counted as a Xinjiang people myself, so it appears to be offering opportunities to us," he said.

Milestone solar thermal power plant in Xinjiang provides stable output, job opportunities

The "soft landing" of the China-EU electric vehicle case will greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment, a spokeswoman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

He Yongqian, the spokeswoman, made the remarks after China and the European Union (EU) agreed on the necessity of providing general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese companies exporting battery electric vehicle (BEV) passenger cars to the EU.

"China and the EU simultaneously announced on Monday that they had achieved positive outcomes following multiple rounds of consultations on the EV case, a development that has drawn wide attention at home and abroad. Industry players from both sides have 'highly welcomed and fully endorsed' the outcome, saying the 'soft landing' of the case is expected to greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment. Some EU politicians have described it as a positive step toward building a sustainable China-EU trade relationship, and said it demonstrated that resolving trade differences through partnership remains feasible," she said.

"Against the current international backdrop, China and the EU, acting in a spirit of mutual respect and within the framework of WTO rules, have properly addressed the EV case, which is of significant positive importance. The outcome will not only contribute to the sound development of China-EU economic and trade ties and help safeguard the stability of the global automotive industrial and supply chains, but will also send a clear and strong signal that both sides are willing to uphold a rules-based international trading order, setting a good example for countries to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and injecting greater certainty and positive energy into global economic growth," she said.

"China appreciates the spirit of dialogue showed by the EU side and stands ready to work with the EU, building on the current positive outcomes, to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, maintain dialogue and communication, and support stable industrial and supply chains on both sides, continue to deepen cooperation on the basis of market principles, and make active contributions to the global green transition," she added.

"Soft landing" of China-EU EV case to significantly boost market confidence: MOC spokeswoman