China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) announced its landmark 1GW CSP-PV integrated energy demonstration project in Hami, Xinjiang — China’s largest linear Fresnel concentrated solar power (CSP) complex — has finished commissioning and launched commercial trial operation.

Sited in the Gobi Desert, the hybrid hub combines 900 MW PV and a 100 MW linear Fresnel CSP unit fitted with 260,000 precision tracking reflectors covering 800,000 sq.m of heat collection area. 

Equipped with large-scale high-temperature molten salt storage, the plant delivers stable power output for up to eight consecutive hours. Its linear Fresnel system concentrates sunlight via mirror arrays and secondary CPCs, heating molten salt to 550°C to generate zero-carbon electricity through a full solar-heat-power conversion cycle.

The facility first achieved grid connection on September 18, 2025, and has supplied 6.54 million kWh of clean power during stable continuous-load testing. At full commercial operation, it will churn out over 145 million kWh of green power annually, cutting 43,800 tons of standard coal consumption and slashing CO₂ emissions by around 120,000 tons each year.

Niu Jianle, Project Director of CTG’s Hami 1GW CSP-PV Project, highlighted CSP thermal storage’s unique value versus lithium batteries and standalone PV: long-duration, large-capacity zero-emission storage critical for grid stability. He stated the project marks a milestone for linear Fresnel technology, proving its economic viability at utility scale, lowering CSP’s LCOE and accelerating its large-scale commercial rollout.

Surpassing Morocco’s 950 MW Noor Energy 1, the Hami complex is now the world’s largest CSP-PV hybrid plant. However, its title will be short-lived: China Energy Engineering Corporation has broken ground on a 1.5 GW hybrid CSP-PV project also in Hami, comprising 1.3 GW PV and 150 MW CSP.