Tushuo Solar Thermal Plant completed in Tibet

China has completed the assembly of 15,927 movable mirrors at the Tushuo Solar Thermal Power Plant, located in the Amdo district of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Situated at an altitude of 4,650 meters above sea level, the facility is the world’s highest concentrated solar thermal plant and the first tower-type solar plant in the region.

The 100 MW capacity project covers approximately 800,000 square meters. It utilizes a central tower 210 meters high to focus sunlight onto molten salts, heating them to approximately 560°C to produce steam for turbines. A key feature is its eight-hour thermal storage capacity, which allows the plant to continue generating electricity for eight hours after sunset.

The plant is expected to produce roughly 255 million kWh of electricity annually, meeting the needs of approximately 50,000 households. Environmentally, the project aims to replace 60,000 tons of coal consumption and prevent 165,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The facility is scheduled to connect to the power grid by October 2026.