China's highest-altitude ultra-supercritical coal-fired power unit begins operation

(ECNS) -- Unit 1 of the Huadian Golmud Phase I 2×660-MW coal-fired power project in northwest China's Qinghai Province began commercial operation Thursday after completing a 168-hour trial run, making it the highest-altitude ultra-supercritical coal-fired power unit in the country.

Located in Golmud, Qinghai, at an average altitude of 2,850 meters (about 9,350 feet), the project, with a total investment of about 6.2 billion yuan ($930 million), is designed to generate about 6 billion kWh of electricity a year, enough for about 6.6 million residents once fully operational.

Unit 1 was included in the fifth batch of major first-of-its-kind technical equipment in the energy sector designated by China's National Energy Administration. The project addresses technical challenges of high-altitude operation, high-alkali coal and deep peak-load regulation.

(By Gong Weiwei)