Shijiazhuang Dongfang Energy plans to build 2GW high-tech solar power plant in Inner Mongolia

China’s SPIC Shijiazhuang Dongfang Energy stated that it intends to embark on building a high-tech solar power plant in Inner Mongolia possessing a capacity of 2 GW. The project is set to utilize concentrated solar power technology in a bid to promote Beijing’s impetus to Clean Energy. The project is likely to receive subsidies from Central and State Governments.

The company statement to the Shenzhen exchange outlining preliminary plans for the plant did not say when construction would start or when it expects the project to be complete. CSP technology generates solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight. It can then store thermal energy in molten salt or synthetic oil, allowing CSP plants to continue generating power after sunset in antithesis to photo voltaic plants.

The company said it would invest 4.6 billion yuan ($728 million) in the first phase to build 200 MW of capacity, including additional equipment like transformer substations. The country aims to install at least 5 GW of CSP capacity by 2020 and boost large-scale energy storage capacity over the next decade.

China has been advocating CSP projects and their energy storage capability to allay the nation’s surging energy waste problem. Paucity of transmission capability leads to stranded and wasted power. Storing that power ideally helps alleviate the issue of waste.