China builds plant with CO₂ cycle and molten salt
The demonstration project is intended to store surplus electricity as heat and make an existing power station more flexible.
China has begun construction of a commercial demonstration project combining supercritical carbon dioxide with molten-salt storage. The installation is intended to help an existing power station respond more quickly to changing demand and supply on the electricity grid.
The project is being built at China Huaneng's Baijiao power station in Shandong. According to China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, it will have a planned capacity of 50 megawatts and an energy-storage system rated at 100 megawatts and 400 megawatt-hours.
Instead of water vapour, the installation uses supercritical carbon dioxide as its working medium. When there is sufficient electricity available, energy is used to heat molten salt. When demand rises, that heat can be used again to circulate carbon dioxide under high pressure through a turbine.
According to the initiative's proponents, the advantage of the combination is that electricity does not have to be stored only in batteries. Thermal storage can hold large quantities of energy temporarily and then feed it back into the grid when required. The technology could therefore be relevant to systems with large amounts of wind and solar power, whose output is not constant.
The Chinese project description states that a supercritical CO₂ installation can be more compact and flexible than a traditional steam cycle. It also claims that the installation can adjust from zero to full load and respond about four times faster than a conventional coal-fired power station. These performance claims come from the project developers and have not yet been independently tested in commercial operation.
The project is located at an existing coal-fired power station and is therefore not, in itself, a replacement for fossil-fuel generation. Its main role could be to improve the flexibility of the existing system. The planned commissioning in 2027 makes the project a demonstration, not proof that the technology is already cheaper or more climate-friendly at scale than alternatives such as batteries, hydropower or directly expanding renewable generation.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The project combines a supercritical CO₂ cycle with molten-salt storage.
- The installation is being built at an existing power station.
- Its commercial performance has yet to be demonstrated.
Left
Arguments Storage technology can be useful, but must not extend the life of coal-fired power stations. Public investment should primarily go towards zero-emission generation, energy efficiency and affordable grids.
Values Rapid emissions reduction, public health, ecological limits and public oversight.
Consequences A link to a coal-fired power station could create lock-in, even if the installation becomes temporarily more flexible.
Centre
Arguments A demonstration project can be justified if its costs, emissions, safety and system value are measured transparently. The technology should be compared with batteries and other forms of storage.
Values Technological pragmatism, innovation, reliability and evidence-based policy.
Consequences A successful trial could provide additional flexibility; a failed trial can, through evaluation, prevent greater expenditure.
Right
Arguments Energy security requires multiple technologies and a strong industrial base. It is more sensible to make existing power stations more efficient and flexible than to wait solely for new infrastructure.
Values Security of supply, economic competitiveness, technological innovation and national autonomy.
Consequences The approach could limit grid problems, but without firm emissions standards there is a risk that fossil-fuel infrastructure will continue operating for longer.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The technical design and project planning have been confirmed. Performance claims are explicitly attributed in the text to the developers and are not presented as independently established.
- confirmed China is building a project with 50 megawatts of CO₂ generation and 100 megawatts/400 megawatt-hours of storage. — Specifications from the official project description. source
- confirmed The project is due to be completed in 2027. — Mentioned in the official announcement. source
- uncertain The installation responds four times faster than a traditional coal-fired power station. — This is a claim by the project developers; independent operational testing is lacking. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The installation responds four times faster than a traditional coal-fired power station.Now: The project developers state that the installation can respond about four times faster than a traditional coal-fired power station. (The claim has not been independently confirmed.)
Editor's note
The construction start, capacity and planned commissioning date come from official Chinese sources. Performance and climate claims have not yet been independently confirmed in a commercial installation.Sources
- 我国首个“熔盐储能+二氧化碳”发电项目开工 — State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council
- 中国科学院工程热物理研究所紧凑式超临界二氧化碳发电系统研制取得重要进展 — Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „china energieopslag”
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- Het Parool — „china energieopslag”