Recently, with the opening of the valve for the salt filling pipe of the cold molten salt tank of the Yumen Solar Power Generation Project, a “Solar Thermal Energy+ New Energy” demonstration project, molten salt began to be injected into the cold storage tank in a steady stream. Before that, the hot tank of the Yumen Project had melted over 9,000 tons of salt. At present, the two salt tanks are operating stably, marking the realization of the dual operation goal of cold and hot molten salt tanks constructed by Bluestar (Beijing) Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd (BCMC). This project is the first to achieve the dual operation goal among the second batch of molten salt energy storage demonstration projects in China.

The Yumen Molten Salt Energy Storage Project is among the second batch of key molten salt energy storage demonstration projects supported by China and the first batch of “Solar Thermal Energy + New Energy” demonstration projects in Gansu Province. It is also a molten-salt linear Fresnel solar thermal power station with the largest installed capacity in the world. After it is put into operation, the annual power generation capacity of on-grid new energy resources will reach about 1.75 billion kilowatt-hours, thereby saving 521,000 tons of standard coal and reducing 1.353 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, which will deliver significant economic and ecological benefits.

In an active response to the national call for energy conservation and carbon reduction, BCMC mainly provided a molten salt energy storage system solution consisting of 1 cold tank + 1 hot tank for this project by fully employing its R&D and technical advantages. The hot and cold salt tanks can store up to 20,000 tons of molten salt, with a designed heat storage time of up to 8 hours. Based on the experience from Dubai, Hami, Delingha and other projects that have been commissioned and are operating stably, as well as the optimized design, simulated calculations and on-site construction process quality control, the storage tanks are expected to fulfill the performance requirement of a maximum temperature drop of no more than 1°C, which can minimize heat loss and improve the energy storage efficiency of the unit.

This project officially broke ground on March 29, 2023, and the milestone goal of the water submersion test on the two storage tanks was accomplished in the same year. It is the first project of BCMC to complete the water submersion test in the same year when the construction was started, and sets a record for the fastest performance from the commencement of construction to the completion of the water submersion test of the storage tanks of molten salt projects. The smooth implementation of this project was attributed to BCMC’s forward-looking planning and resource allocation in the molten salt energy storage business. During the implementation process, the project team worked closely with safety, project management and other departments to identify and proactively manage risks, thereby advancing the progress of this project.

The success of the Yumen Project not only builds up valuable management experience for subsequent projects, but also adds a glittering touch to the ambition of BCMC in developing the molten salt energy storage business. BCMC will further increase its market share in the molten salt energy storage business, and contribute to achieving the national carbon neutrality goals by taking advantage of the favorable momentum of the “Solar Thermal Energy + New Energy” development strategy.