On July 16, the 2026 Qinghai Clean Energy Development Forum was held in Xining. Luo Dongchuan, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee and Governor of Qinghai Province; Yang Kun, Party Secretary and Executive Vice‑Chairman of China Electricity Council (CEC); Pang Songtao, Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN); and Li Chuangjun, Director‑General of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Administration, attended and delivered addresses. More than 200 leading officials, experts and industry representatives from government authorities, energy enterprises, universities, research institutes and industry associations took part in the forum.

According to Luo Dongchuan, in recent years Qinghai has prioritized high‑efficiency concentrated solar power (CSP), maximized thermal‑storage duration, domesticated equipment manufacturing and intelligent system application. It has ramped up technological R&D and scenario‑based application, rolled out policies to boost large‑scale CSP development, and promoted multi‑energy complementarity and source‑grid‑load‑storage integration. At present, Qinghai ranks first nationwide in both commissioned and under‑construction CSP capacity. During the 15th Five‑Year Plan period, Qinghai will comprehensively deepen energy‑sector reforms, further leverage its resource, industrial and innovation strengths in clean energy, and speed up the growth of a 100‑billion‑yuan new‑energy industrial cluster. He expressed hope for joint efforts with all partners to advance CSP technological innovation and industrial cluster development, build a high‑ground for clean‑energy industries, jointly foster a “National CSP Capital”, explore new horizons for the CSP industry and embark on a new journey for clean energy.

In his address, Yang Kun noted that China’s energy revolution has entered a critical phase of in‑depth advancement. The dual‑carbon goals are being fully implemented, an energy‑powerful nation is taking shape, and clean energy has become a key underpinning for national security and green economic and social transition. Boasting multiple core strengths including clean power generation, long‑duration energy storage, flexible peak‑shaving and provision of grid rotational inertia, CSP serves as an indispensable regulating power source for grid security and stability and for the integration of large‑scale new energy. Driven by strengthened national top‑level policies and coordinated efforts across the whole industrial chain, China’s CSP industry has achieved leap‑frog growth with rapid expansion of industrial scale, a fully‑matured indigenous technology system and improved top‑level policy framework. For the new journey of the 15th Five‑Year Plan, CEC and its CSP Branch will continue to act as a bridge for the industry, conduct policy outreach, strengthen standards‑based guidance, foster technological innovation and commercialization of R&D outcomes, and work with all stakeholders to disseminate Qinghai’s development experience, thus contributing more to building an energy‑powerful nation and delivering the dual‑carbon goals on schedule.

Pang Songtao pointed out that CGN, one of China’s earliest central SOEs investing in CSP, has long stayed committed to this track. It regards CSP as one of the core pillars for differentiated new‑energy growth and steadily advances large‑scale CSP deployment. CGN’s in‑operation and under‑construction CSP installed capacity now stands at 900 MW, placing it among the industry’s front‑runners. The 15th Five‑Year Plan constitutes a crucial period for China to build an energy‑powerful nation and achieve large‑scale breakthroughs in the CSP sector. CGN stands ready to work with industry peers to pursue self‑reliance and self‑improvement in science and technology and tackle core CSP equipment bottlenecks; advance multi‑energy integration and build high‑standard large‑scale wind‑solar‑CSP‑storage bases; deepen green east‑west collaboration to unlock industrial endogenous momentum, and make greater contributions to developing the new‑type power system and building an energy‑powerful nation.

Li Chuangjun stated that the green and low‑carbon energy transition has become an irreversible trend of our times. For years Qinghai has blazed new trails, repeatedly setting new world records for full clean‑energy power supply. It has delivered remarkable CSP progress, ranking first nationwide in commissioned, under‑construction and newly‑added CSP station capacity, making outstanding contributions to China’s CSP industry. Qinghai is best‑positioned to drive CSP from “demonstration‑led development” toward “large‑scale deployment”. The National Energy Administration will continue to strengthen coordination and support in planning and layout, base construction, market mechanisms, investment and financing policies. It will step up R&D and industrial guidance for key technologies such as high‑efficiency heat absorption and large‑capacity molten‑salt thermal storage, drive down CSP costs, help turn CSP into Qinghai’s competitive, pillar and strategic industry, and build Qinghai into a national‑ and even global‑level high‑ground for the CSP industry.

During keynote speeches, Xu Haiming, Director‑General of Qinghai Provincial Energy Bureau, released findings from Qinghai’s wind and solar‑PV resource survey. Distinguished experts including He Yaling, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University; Yang Yongping, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Lanzhou University; Li Yilun, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of CGN; Wang Zhifeng, Chairman of the Solar Thermal Power Generation Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance; Jin Jianxiang, Chairman of Zhejiang Kaisheng Technology Co., Ltd.; and Tang Zhongfeng, Researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered in‑depth presentations on cutting‑edge CSP‑storage technologies and industrial pathways to empower high‑quality clean‑energy development in Qinghai.

An unveiling ceremony was held on‑site for the National CSP Technology Innovation Center for the High‑Ground of National Clean‑Energy Industry (hereinafter “the Innovation Center”). Led by CGN (Qinghai) New Energy Investment Co., Ltd., the Innovation Center brings together upstream‑and‑downstream CSP enterprises, universities and research institutes for collaborative development. It features three functional platforms: the Xining R&D Center, the Delingha Demonstration Base and the Golmud Whole‑Industrial‑Chain Development Base. It focuses on tackling generic core technologies, accelerating the commercialization of scientific outcomes, cultivating indigenous core intellectual property rights, and continuously promoting cost reduction, efficiency gains and quality upgrading for CSP projects.

Concurrent with the forum, a new‑product‑and‑technology launch event was hosted for enterprises settled in the Innovation Center. CGN New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd. unveiled its self‑developed global‑first complete set of 8.6‑m aperture molten‑salt parabolic‑trough CSP collector equipment and process named “Yuanyao‑I”. Technological verification was completed in April 2026. It achieves major breakthroughs in photoelectric conversion efficiency and full‑chain indigenous controllability, delivering core technical support for large‑scale CSP development in China and accelerating the country’s CSP industry toward low‑cost, high‑efficiency and large‑capacity deployment. Changzhou Longteng Solar Thermal Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Kaisheng Technology Co., Ltd., and Qinghai Salt Lake Wojin Thermal Storage Technology Co., Ltd. respectively released new technologies and solutions: “New‑generation Core Equipment for Large‑capacity Molten‑salt Parabolic‑trough CSP Plants”, “350 MW Large‑capacity Tower‑type CSP Complete Solution”, and “Molten‑salt Energy Storage: Innovation‑driven, Standards‑led Industry Future”.

This forum was hosted by Qinghai Provincial Energy Bureau, and co‑organized by the CEC CSP Branch, the National Energy Solar Thermal Power R&D Center, and CGN New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.(Reporter: Zhang Jiaxing)