What changed
China’s highest-altitude ultra-supercritical coal-fired power project ignited its No. 2 boiler at 2:35 a.m. on October 18. The Qinghai Huadian Golmud Phase I project reported stable combustion and normal parameters, moving the 660-megawatt unit into hot commissioning.
The project comprises two 660-megawatt units, costs about 6.2 billion yuan and is designed to generate roughly 6 billion kilowatt-hours a year. Dual-unit operation is planned by the end of 2026.
Why it matters
At an average altitude of about 2,800 metres, the Golmud project is being built as a support and seasonal-adjustment power source for Qinghai. Once operating, it is intended to help balance wind and solar generation and provide peak-balancing capacity for the Qinghai power grid.
That makes the boiler ignition more than a construction milestone. It is the point at which one part of a large power project begins testing under operating heat, while the wider system is being designed to combine coal-fired generation with rapid growth in renewable power.
The important next test is whether both units reach operation as planned by the end of 2026. Commercial operation, final construction completion and actual generation have not yet been confirmed.
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