China has commenced the construction of the first utility-scale power generation project that combines supercritical carbon dioxide technology with molten salt energy storage. This innovative project, located at China Huaneng’s Bajiao power station in Yantai, Shandong province, aims to enhance energy efficiency and stabilize the power grid.
Construction began on September 16, with operations anticipated to start next year. The facility will utilize excess electricity from existing coal power units during low-demand periods to heat molten salt. During peak energy demand hours, this stored heat will power a supercritical unit that generates electricity using carbon dioxide instead of steam.
Phase one of the project includes a 50-megawatt supercritical unit alongside a 100-megawatt molten salt energy storage system, capable of storing 400 megawatt-hours of energy.
