A 100 MW solar thermal power plant in Da'an, Jilin province, has connected to the grid. Built by China General Nuclear Power Corp, it is the first such plant in northeast China and uses molten salt storage to provide 24/7 clean power. The project also includes a 40 MW electric heater that stores surplus wind and solar energy as heat, reducing curtailment from nearby 260 MW wind and 130 MW solar farms. The plant is expected to generate 180 million kWh per year, saving about 54,000 tons of coal and cutting CO2 emissions by roughly 139,000 tons annually. However, the article notes that concentrated solar power still faces high costs and lacks national pricing support, which limits large-scale deployment. The plant's 95% localization rate shows domestic supply chain progress, but economic viability remains a hurdle for the sector.
